SECMD22 notebook: Auburn trio returns with unfinished business

SECMD22 notebook: Auburn trio returns with unfinished businessSECMD22 notebook: Auburn trio returns with unfinished business

ATLANTA – Tank Bigsby, Derick Hall and John Samuel Shenker represented Auburn at SEC Media Days on Thursday. Dressed to the nines, they spent the day going from room to room at the College Football Hall of Fame and talking to various reporters. It was an opportunity to promote Auburn football and to promote their own brands. 

It was only fitting that each player represented their school in a first-class manner because when given the chance to leave in the offseason, all three chose Auburn. 

After the bowl game, Hall told his mom he was gone. He had every intention of turning pro and putting his name in the NFL Draft. But after really analyzing the decision, he thought better of it. First and foremost, he wanted to come back and graduate, to earn his degree. He also wanted to play with his brothers one more time. And he wanted to give back to Auburn and give the fans one more season. 

"If I had to make the decision again, I would definitely come back for 2022," Hall said. "I'm ready to get to work. We're ready to get this thing on the road."


Bigsby was not eligible for the draft yet, but he could have put his name in the transfer portal and played somewhere else in 2022. There's not a team in the country who wouldn't gladly take the star running back. But Bigsby stayed true to his original commitment.

"When I came to Auburn my freshman year in 2020, I just felt like this school is different," he said. "After my sophomore season, it's the same thing. It's a different program, and you have to be a different man to be in this program. A lot of people don't like us, a lot of people speak bad about us, but at the end of the day, we have to come to play. 

"That's why I'm came to Auburn, and that's why I'm still at Auburn. I feel like we're going to do what we have to do this year and handle our business."

This will be year six for Shenker who redshirted as a freshman in 2017 and was granted an extra year of eligibility because of COVID-19. He could've easily moved on and tested the NFL waters. He could've hung up his cleats altogether. But like the others, he came back. 

All three players returned to accomplish something special this season. 

"We belong at the top, and that's where our push is," Shenker said. "People can say what they want, but they're not in the locker room. They're not at practice every day. We believe what we're doing in the offseason has created momentum and positivity in what we are ready to do this fall."


 'The best atmosphere in college football' 
At SEC Media Days, when Georgia linebacker Nolan Smith was asked what the toughest stadium is that he has had to play in, it was a quick response. Jordan-Hare Stadium. 

"When you go in Jordan-Hare, you better be ready to play football," Smith said. 

The atmosphere at Jordan-Hare Stadium has left an impression on opposing players, coaches, fans and even some of the national media members. ESPN's Ryan McGee, traveling with SEC Nation, attended two Auburn games last year.

"It's the loudest stadium I've ever been in. And I've been in them all," McGee said. "I still have earplugs in my backpack from my NASCAR days, and there are only a couple stadiums where I'll probably pull out my earplugs. Jordan-Hare is at the top of the list."

"Any time you come to Jordan-Hare, it's going to be crazy," Auburn linebacker Derick Hall said. "It's the best college atmosphere in college football right now, and I think it will be for a very long time. Just having that home game experience, having everybody around you, everybody doing the Swag Surf going into the fourth quarter, it's special. You really have to be there to see it.

"Every time I walk in that stadium, I get chill bumps."



 Leftovers from SEC Media Days
Tank Bigsby, Auburn RB
"That's what I tell my teammates all the time. I say, 'Guys, if I come in and I'm not having the day you think I should be having, y'all get on me. Y'all tell me.' Just because you look to me as a leader, it doesn't mean you can't say anything to me. Let me know. Let me know if I need to pick something up. I feel like there's no such thing as a leader of a team. I feel like everybody is a leader It's the way you carry yourself. Because you can learn from anybody." 

Takeo Spikes, SEC Network/Former Auburn LB
"I don't know if we're going to win the SEC. We're not favored to do that. But what I do feel after having a conversation with Coach Harsin and talking with Tank and Derick is that not only are they going to give their all, but I do believe we will have some inspired football play this year and you will see guys out there on the football field who really want to be there."

John Samuel Shenker, Auburn TE
"To have the first five games at home at Jordan-Hare, especially this year with the guys we have coming back and the experience and knowing what is capable of us when we play at home, it's truly something we do not take lightly. To play in that stadium is such a blessing. Whenever you have that opportunity, you have to take full advantage. Last year we didn't. That is something we've really emphasized this year. When we play at home, we win."

Cole Cubelic, SEC Network/Former Auburn OL
"Having been around him a little bit, Coach Harsin seems much more comfortable, much more confident. I think he's kind of taken that and just focused in on football and dedicated himself to this team. Sometimes that's what you have to do, just remove yourself from the exterior garbage and say let's go focus in on what the task is at hand – and that's winning football games this year."