Auburn continues scorching hot summer recruiting after a loud, “BOOM!” from a Tank

Auburn continues scorching hot summer recruiting after a loud, “BOOM!” from a Tank

August 10, 2019 Skye Underwood By

I’ve followed Auburn Football and more specifically, Auburn Football recruiting long enough to know that what is happening right now on the Plains is unprecedented. The program has arguably never recruited with the level of success that the Tigers are displaying this summer, especially this early in the ball game. But what makes it even more extraordinary is the fact that Gus Malzahn and staff have done it despite the negative outside noise from his harshest critics who all but predict his demise.

It’s like Christmas in August for Auburn fans. The Tigers continued their scorching hot summer on the recruiting trail when one of the top prospects in the country and the No. 1 running back in the state of Georgia for 2020, four-star Cartavious ‘Tank’ Bigsby committed to Auburn.

“On June 13, Auburn’s 2020 class was ranked No. 23 nationally.

With Tank Bigsby’s commitment, Auburn’s 2020 class is now ranked No. 6 in the country.”

The Athletic’s Auburn beat reporter Justin Ferguson was able to sum up Auburn’s sensational summer on the trail with a single tweet.

Yesterday, the Callaway High School (Loganville, GA) star made his way directly off the practice field followed by his teammates and into the center of his school’s gymnasium where a table sat featuring the Callaway insignia on the face of the front of the table cover and behind it, a black 10×10 backdrop featuring the school’s logo along with Nike’s swoosh plastered all over it.

The commitment was set to take place at 4:30 P.M. central/5:30 P.M. eastern and an Atlanta news station, 11alive’s YouTube page was streaming it live from the time it was supposed to start, but things didn’t exactly go as planned, especially for the fanbases in the running for Bigsby’s commitment not named Auburn.

Obviously, Callaway’s football practice didn’t end till 5:00 P.M. central/6:00 PM eastern, thirty minutes after the announcement was supposed to take place and that’s when the team, especially the man of the hour finally arrived.

The 6-foot, 210-pound running back grabbed a seat at the table beside a couple family members, while doing his best to wipe the sweat from his brow after enduring the grueling southern heat and humidity. The microphone sitting on the table was left on despite the commitment not being quite ready to take place, revealing that his grandparents were still ten minutes away after being stuck in traffic.

Bigsby seemed anxious to get the small ceremony over with as four hats sat on the table in front of him from left to right – Auburn, Georgia, LSU, and South Carolina. As he sat at the table waiting on the rest of his family to arrive, he seemed to have a moment or two where he appeared to be pondering his future and took a quick, subtle, but telling glare at the Auburn hat that sat almost directly in front of him.

Ten minutes after the hour, the family of Tank Bigsby had all arrived in white t-shirts and assembled side-by-side behind the talented ball carrier, who as a junior rushed for over 2,000 yards for Callaway last season.

It was time for the ceremony to get underway.

Rivals recruiting analyst Chad Simmons grabbed a microphone and welcomed everyone before talking about Tank and what he brings to the table as a prospect. Simmons then turned the mic over to Callaway head coach Pete Wiggins who was short and sweet, yet offered up what Bigsby brings to the table as a person.

The stage was set for Bigsby to make his announcement and he didn’t waste any time.

“I’d like to start off by thanking my family, teammates and coaches by (for) supporting me and just being there by my side. And I’m gonna take my career to the next step,” Bigsby said before reaching down under the table grabbing a white cap featuring the orange and blue “AU” logo as he continued while putting the hat on, “I’m gonna be going to Auburn University.”

Former Auburn superstar running back and current running backs coach Cadillac Williams seemed to be the difference in Tank’s recruitment as he and Bigsby hit it off from the start on his official visit and their bond has become stronger ever since.

Jeffery Lee of AuburnSports.com revealed, “Sixty days ago, Auburn had zero chance of signing Bigsby. Auburn running backs coach Carnell Williams had been on the job less than five months and the relationship between Bigsby and Williams was virtually non-existent. Then came June 7. It’s the day that changed things in Bigsby’s recruitment. It’s the day he arrived at Auburn for an official visit and the day a bond between Williams and Bigsby began to bud. Bigsby spent the weekend in Auburn meeting extensively with Williams. After the visit, the bud began to bloom,” wrote Lee in a free article by Rivals that you can read here: https://n.rivals.com/news/where-will-five-star-tank-bigsby-go-our-experts-weigh-in

“Coach Lac” as his players like to call him, responded to the spectacular news with one of the coolest celebratory tweets that you’ll see by reminding everyone of the rich history at Running Back U that’s bound to continue with the addition of Bigsby.

But as good as that was, Auburn linebacker coach Travis Williams may have captured the feeling of every Auburn fan with his tweet celebrating the addition of the young stud and congratulating his former teammate and current colleague for his role in the recruitment.

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