Paul Finebaum reveals concern for Auburn, Bryan Harsin amid latest transfer news
Sunday night was a tough one for the Auburn Tigers, with starting quarterback Bo Nix entering the transfer portal and running back Tank Bigsby expected to follow suit. In what was already going to be a crucial offseason for head coach Bryan Harsin, it’s already off to a poor start.
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum was on the radio Monday morning, discussing what’s happened on the Plains over the past 24 hours. He said there is cause for concern after how the season ended.
“I was supportive throughout the year,” Finebaum said. “It ended terribly and it was all about recruiting to set the blueprint for the future but this is a pretty bad start to the week if Bigsby joins Bo Nix.”
Auburn ended the year on a four-game losing streak, dropping their matchups against Alabama, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Texas A&M. They will end the season in the Birmingham Bowl against Houston, looking to avoid their first losing season since 2012.
In the recruiting world, the Tigers are playing from behind heading into the early signing day. While Harsin has brought in a near top 25 class nationally, they are No. 9 within the SEC in the On3 Consensus rankings and are fifth within the SEC West.
There is work to be done for Harsin, with his top priority being able to close Wednesday’s early signing period strong. From there, he will have to work on finding replacements for his star quarterback and running back.
Auburn quarterback Bo Nix enters transfer portal
Auburn quarterback Bo Nix is entering the NCAA Transfer Portal, he announced on Sunday. The junior spent all of 2021 as the Tigers’ starting quarterback before an ankle injury caused him to miss the final two games.
Nix had surgery to repair the ankle and will need time to rehab before returning to the football field. He finished the season with 2,294 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions.
The quarterback arrived in Auburn in 2019 with high expectations. His father, Patrick, played quarterback for the Tigers from 1992-95. Bo Nix was the No. 33 overall player in the 2019 class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
He was the first freshman to start at quarterback for Auburn since 1946 and lived up to the hype, earning SEC Freshman of the Year. He broke Tigers freshman records for passing yards (2,542) and touchdowns (16) in 2019.
Nix returned the following year as a sophomore and earned team captain honors. He helped lead Auburn to a 6-4 finish against an all-SEC schedule and earn a trip to the Citrus Bowl.