If there’s one big question for Auburn football heading into the 2021 season, it’s who will take the coveted role of QB1. While Bo Nix will most likely begin the season as a third-year starter, it’s possible that he could have the rug swept out from under him by LSU transfer T.J. Finley.
The pressure is fully on for Bo Nix, yet he doesn’t seem to be crumbling underneath it, yet. The veteran QB snagged one of the first and most notable NIL deals with Milo’s Tea and has been named Iron Man of the Week twice under new head coach Bryan Harsin.
While it’s possible that improvement for Nix has arrived on the Plains in the form of a new coaching staff, new offensive style, and new workouts, all eyes will be on the QB looking for the type of high-level play expected from a third-year starter. Auburn football fans know that Nix has not yet exceeded expectations on the field, but everyone else loves to remind us.
The latest reminder comes in the form of PFF’s college football quarterback rankings heading into 2021. Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler gets the top spot on the list, followed by UNC’s Sam Howell and Miami’s D’Eriq King. Bo Nix lands at the #67 spot on the list, in what PFF refers to as “the average tier:”
"These college quarterbacks rank right in the middle of their peers. Some of them have hardly shown an ability to produce at a quality level and are consistently average. And then there are others who have flashed stellar play but then negated it with poor performances. The signal-callers in this tier need elite supporting casts on both sides of the ball if their teams are to have big years."
Bryan Harsin is doing his best to put that elite supporting cast around Bo Nix by recruiting both high school talent and looking to the NCAA transfer portal. With Harsin’s reputation as a quarterback developer and Will Friend’s new approach to the O-Line, hopefully, Nix can pull himself out of the average tier in 2021.