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The Tank has rolled into town. Former Callaway football great and current Jacksonville Jaguar running back Tank Bigsby returned home on Friday to Callaway High School, where he gave back to his community by helping coach the annual Pete Wiggins football camp.

It was not so very long ago that Bigsby was a participant at the camp, and an even shorter time ago, helping with the camp as a senior. Time has flown by, but Bigsby’s dedication to the youth in his hometown has not waned. 

“It means a lot to me to be able to come back here and show love to all the kids in my community,” he proudly proclaimed. “It really is a blessing to be able to be in a position where I can do something like that. Not many people get this opportunity, so I want to come out here and show them a good time and teach them a little about football.”

Inevitably, change happens with the passing of time. Callaway is building a brand-new indoor practice facility, and many of the coaches who were on staff when Bigsby was a Cavalier (2016-2019) have since moved on.

But some things stay the same. Wiggins is still the head football coach at Callaway High, Callaway Middle School athletic director Kerry Woodard is still around and former Cavalier and Auburn Tiger teammate Keoindre Jones is now on the Cavalier coaching staff.

“It feels like it wasn’t that long ago when we were all out here helping out with this camp and getting ready to play in the fall,” Bigsby said. “I love seeing these guys. Callaway is a lifelong brotherhood.”

Bigsby returns home, coming off his best season in the NFL yet. The bruising running back led the Jaguars with 168 carries for 766 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns in the 2024-25 season after rushing for just over 130 yards as a rookie the year prior. His uptick in production did not happen overnight, but was the culmination of a ton of hard work behind closed doors.

“I kept grinding (after his rookie year) and I believed in God’s plan for me,” Bigsby said.

Wiggins had high praise for his former running back’s work ethic. 

“He is one of the hardest workers I have been around, and I’ve been coaching for a long time now,” Wiggins said, addressing the campers on Friday. “That’s what separates him from the others, and that’s what can separate you from the others, too.”

Wiggins saw that work ethic pay dividends for the Cavaliers as Bigsby racked up 3,857 rushing yards and 49 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Callaway. The Cavalier star went from an unknown to the no. 7 ranked prospect in Georgia for the class of 2020, not by sheer luck, but by how focused and committed he was to bettering himself. 

There is some real excitement brewing in Duval County. The Jacksonville Jaguars have a new head coach in Liam Coen, a new general manager in James Gladstone and a new direction for the organization. The energy is there, and Bigsby is looking to build on his first two seasons in the NFL.

“We got a high-energy team, we have brought in some more high-energy guys and we really feel like we have the guys to make something happen this year,” Bigsby said. “Right now, I’m just loving the process and focusing on the little details in my work.”

Bigsby brought the high energy on Friday, coaching, cheering and busting a few touchdown dance moves with the Callaway campers. It felt like 2019 at Callaway High again.