Tag: Tank Bigsby auburn

Looking for optimism, Auburn fans? 247Sports gives one reason to believe

The combination of running back Tank Bigsby and the arrival of new head coach Bryan Harsin is one reason for Auburn fans to be optimistic.

Auburn fans’ expectations might be a little down heading into the first season of the Bryan Harsin era in 2021. I mean, when was the last time that the majority would pick eight wins to be a successful season?

There are reasons for optimism for the Tigers, though, and one of them has been pointed out by the good people at 247Sports. As you would expect, it involves running back Tank Bigsby.

Bryan Harsin is the perfect choice for tailback Tank Bigsby, whose new coach likes to run the football and be stubborn in his approach to a workhorse mentality. Harsin routinely produced 1,000-yard rushers at Boise State and knows Auburn has a player it can build the offense around in 2021. Quarterback Bo Nix is playing under his third play-caller in three seasons, so he’s going to need some help in the run game and Bigsby is one of the SEC’s best. With enough carries, Bigbsy is a player who could rush for 1,200 or more yards.

Yes, Bigsby returns for his sophomore season after rushing for 834 yards on just 138 attempts last season and expects to be even better. A large amount of the Auburn offense, especially early on, will rely on his legs to keep opposing defenses honest and not just stack the box and make Nix beat them.

Updated BetMGM Heisman Trophy odds for Tank Bigsby, Bo Nix

Auburn running back Tank Bigsby and quarterback Bo Nix are among the players listed in the latest Heisman odds by BetMGM.

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Could Auburn have a battle for who wins the Heisman Trophy in its own backfield?

Probably not, but the people over at BetMGM are putting two Tigers on their list of potential contenders.

Auburn sophomore running back Tank Bigsby, expected to be one of the top backs in the nation, comes in at +6600 on the board while junior quarterback Bo Nix, who quarterback coach Jordan Palmer thinks can be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, is a bigger long shot at +10000.

Bigsby rushed for 834 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman last season while battling injuries during the final part of the schedule. Pro Football Focus has named him the top returning running back for this upcoming season.

Nix, who regressed as a passer as a sophomore, threw for 2,415 and 12 touchdowns while getting intercepted seven times. He completed just 59.9 percent of his passes in the 11 games while also rushing for seven scores.

Here are the top 10 favorites for the 2021 Heisman Trophy:

Odds courtesy of BetMGM, The King of Sportsbooks. 

Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma QB) – +300

DJ Uiagalelei (Clemson QB) – +500

JT Daniels (Georgia QB) – +600

Sam Howell (North Carolina QB) – +700

Bryce Young (Alabama QB) – +1000

Keldon Slovis (USC QB) – +1200

D’Eriq King (Miami QB) – +1200

Matt Corral (Ole MIss QB) – +2000

Jayden Daniels (Arizona State QB)   – +2500

Isaiah Spiller (Texas A&M RB) – +2500

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Pro Football Focus ranks Tank Bigsby as top returning running back

Pro Football Focus has named Auburn sophomore Tank Bigsby as the top returning running back for the 2021 season.

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Welcome to the hype, Tank Bigsby.

The Auburn sophomore has been listed as the top returning running back for the 2021 season by Pro Football Focus.

Bigsby was one of the most impressive true freshmen of the 2020 class, finishing as the fifth-most valuable first-year non-quarterback in the country, per PFF Wins Above Average (WAA). For those who don’t know, running backs actually do matter in college football.

The 2020 four-star recruit — who ranked 40th nationally, according to 247Sports — was easily among the most elusive ball carriers in college football last year. His strong contact balance was on full display as he came away with the fifth-most broken tackles per attempt (0.34) in the FBS.

The 6-foot, 204-pound freshman was the third-highest-graded ball carrier in the FBS behind Javonte Williams and Khalil Herbert before suffering an injury in Week 12 against Tennessee.

Bigsby is expected to be the stud of the Auburn offense under new head coach Bryan Harsin and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo after rushing for 834 yards and five touchdowns during a shortened 2020 season.

Tank Bigsby on history of great Auburn backs: ‘I want to be the next one’

Auburn running back Tank Bigsby knows the history of great running backs on the Plains and is working hard on becoming the next one.

Tank Bigsby showed flashes of what could come as a freshman in 2020 as he shook off would-be tacklers and lowered his head to gain extra yards on his way to becoming Auburn’s feature back.

For the sophomore and former 5-star recruit, it is all part of him becoming just another great running back in the history of the Auburn program.

“I hold myself to account by working hard,” Bigsby said. “Coach Cadillac pushes me. He tells me how many great running backs have come through here. Of course, I want to be the next one.”

That coach, of course, is Cadillac Williams who, in four years on the Plains, rushed for 3,831 yards, second-most to only Bo Jackson, and an Auburn record 45 touchdowns.

Bigsby, who found himself having to work his way up the depth chart at the beginning of last season and battling injuries toward the end of the year, had some questions when Gus Malzahn was fired and Bryan Harsin was brought in, the most important being whether or not Williams would be kept on the staff.

The back was relieved when Cadillac was retained.

“(Williams) teaches me a lot of things,” Bigsby said. “Just knowing he was coming back to keep teaching me, it was great. Coach Cadillac is a great coach. He recruited me. He talks me through things.. He means a lot to all the running backs. He treats us all the same. He’s a great person.”

Now the star of the Auburn offense, Bigsby will be key to the Tigers success in 2021 yet he’s not going to make any major declarations of grandeur leading up to the season.

“I just let my actions speak for themselves. I feel like if I keep doing what I’m doing and keep my head straight, I’ll get there.”

247Sports lists reasons for optimism for Auburn in 2021

Auburn running back Tank Bigsby is one reason for optimism for the Tigers in Bryan Harsin’s first year on the Plains.

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A new coaching staff and a brand new year will always bring some optimism to a football program but, for Auburn going into 2021, there are still a lot of question marks.

One guy that isn’t a question mark is running back Tank Bigsby who put up an impressive freshman season after becoming the top back and despite some injuries toward the end of the year. When laying out a reason for optimism for each SEC team in 2021, 247Sports started with Bigsby.

Bryan Harsin is the perfect choice for tailback Tank Bigsby, whose new coach likes to run the football and be stubborn in his approach to a workhorse mentality. Harsin routinely produced 1,000-yard rushers at Boise State and knows Auburn has a player it can build the offense around in 2021. Quarterback Bo Nix is playing under his third play-caller in three seasons, so he’s going to need some help in the run game and Bigsby is one of the SEC’s best.

As a freshman, Bigsby ran for 834 yards and five touchdowns on 138 attempts, going for more than 100 yards in four games including three straight. His best outing came against Mississippi State in the regular season finale when he went for 192 yards on 26 carries.

Auburn RB Tank Bigsby named SEC Freshman of the Year

Auburn running back Tank Bigsby has been named the SEC Freshman of the Year.

While the future of the Auburn coaching staff remains a question, there is one certainty within the program: The Tigers have a dangerous Tank in their arsenal.

True freshman running back Tank Bigsby was named the SEC Freshman of the Year on Tuesday after rushing for 834 yards and five touchdowns for the Tigers this season.

A five-star out of Callaway High School in Hogansville, Georgia, Bigsby quickly worked his way into earning more carries early in the season, rushing 20 times for 146 yards in the third game of the season against Arkansas.

He rushed for more than 100 yards four times, including 192 yards on 26 attempts in the regular-season finale against Mississippi State.

Tank Bigsby added to Maxwell Award Watch List

A true freshman, Tank Bigsby has rushed for 503 yards and five touchdowns while putting up three straight 100-plus yard games.

What Tank Bigsby is doing for Auburn as a freshman is getting recognized.

On Wednesday, it was announced that the running back has been added to the Maxwell Award Watch List.

From the press release:

The Maxwell Award has been presented to the outstanding collegiate football player in America since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert W. “Tiny” Maxwell.

In six games this season, Bigsby has rushed for 503 yards, the most by a freshman on a Power 5 team, and five touchdowns. A 5-star recruit, he is averaging 7.3 broken tackles per 25 rush attempts.