By T. Scott Boatright
Don’t blame former Ruston High Bearcat Isaiah Buggs if he’s still trying to catch his breath —- it’s been a whirlwind two months for the big man from the east end of town.
Buggs has seen much change over the past two months — as if the magical tornado from the “Wizard of Oz” unexpectedly and shockingly lifted the 6-3, 335-pound nose tackle from the defensive line of the Detroit Lions and dropped him smack dab of the Super Bowl as one of the newest the Kansas City Chief.
Not even two months ago — on Dec. 16 — Buggs was garnering national attention after scooping up a fumble and rumbling 37 yards to set the Lions up at the Denver Broncos’ 37-yard line that led to a first-quarter TD and 42-17 victory for Detroit.
This week Buggs is in Las Vegas, practicing with the Chiefs as they prepare for Sunday’s Super Bowl showdown against the San Francisco 49ers.
That fumble return was the one of many surprises Buggs has celebrated over the past two months.
“The first thing I said (was), ‘Oh (shoot, or something other word like that), it’s a fumble, I’ve gotta get it,'” Buggs told reporters after that Lions game against Denver. “So, when I got it, man, I just (saw) green grass, and I took it and ran with it. I was trying to score, I couldn’t score. It was just a blessing, man, overall feeling, man. And being able to give my mom that ball, right there, that means a lot. That means a lot, man.”
Now Buggs must be thinking, “Oh (shoot)! I’m in the Super Bowl.”
And you know that means a lot, too.
It meant a lot for Buggs, who was a sixth-round NFL draft pick out of the University of Alabama in 2019 and played three seasons in Pittsburgh before joining the Lions in 2022, to see his alma mater Ruston High School capture its first state championship in 33 years on Dec. 8 as the Bearcats defeated Zachary in the New Orleans Superdome.
“Congratulations BIG RUSTON On Winning State Championship 
A few days later, Buggs made a Facebook saying “God’s Plan Will Continue On God’s Schedule .
And we all know God often works in mysterious and wonderful ways.
The day after making that post about the Bearcats, Buggs celebrated getting to watch online as his mother walked across the stage at the Frederick C. Hobdy Assembly Center to pick up her college diploma from Grambling State University.
But the whirlwind was only getting revved up.
On Jan. 2, days before the last NFL games of the regular season, the Lions released Buggs, who had recorded 12 tackles, the fumble recovery and a pass defensed in 10 appearances during the 2023 season.
Two days later, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Buggs to their practice squad.
The rest is part of ongoing history.
On Saturday, before traveling with the Chiefs to Las Vegas, Buggs made the following Facebook post:
“I Really Appreciate The Ones That Are Truly Happy For Me And I Appreciate Them. The Ones That’s Not Happy For Me, My Whole Football Career Has Been A Grind 
Only time and fate will tell if Buggs gets a chance to get called up to the Chiefs’ roster and play in Sunday’s Super Bowl. He’s simply happy to be along for the ride.
“It’s definitely a process,” Buggs said of his late-season team change during an interview in Las Vegas earlier this week with a reporter from the Newhouse Sports Media Center. “It’s definitely not easy. I was with the Lions for two years. (It’s a) great program. Things just didn’t work out. It’s just a blessing for me to join a Super Bowl team and be here at the Super Bowl and get and be able to enjoy this experience. It’s awesome.”
It’s obvious from his comments during that interview that Buggs is hoping he has a future in Kansas City.
“It’s been amazing seeing how this team prepares, from upstairs in the front office all the way to the field, it’s just amazing,” Buggs said. “It’s really a family here and that’s the thing I like.
“Joe Cullen is a helluva defensive line coach,” Buggs said. “He’s always forward and up front with you. And (Chiefs head coach Andy Reid) Reid is a great coach.
“It’s just how they run their business. It’s amazing.”
Buggs said the Chiefs have offered something new to him that he hadn’t yet seen in his NFL career.
“It’s different — very different,” Buggs said. “You can see how everyone here wants to be in this position. You’ve got to do things right to get to this position. The Chiefs have been dominant for a very long time and I really appreciate them for allowing me to be part of this great experience.”
Asked during that interview on Tuesday in Las Vegas about what it was like playing at Alabama under now-retired Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, Buggs credited his mentor who he earned an NCAA national championship playing for.
“Coach Saban is business-oriented,” Buggs said. “He’s been around for a long time and has coached in the (NFL), so he knows how that goes. Him retiring kind of put a dent in the college football world because for everybody, when you think about Alabama, you think about Nick Saban.
“The coaching he brings and everything else he brings, I’m just happy that I got the chance to play for a legendary coach like that. I learned from Coach Saban, and that’s a great thing I have — playing for the University of Alabama.”
