Bo Nix is on his way out of the Auburn football program, with his transfer portal announcement coming Sunday night. It was a decision that some saw coming. Others never in a million years could have pictured the Auburn man leaving the Plains to man the QB position elsewhere.
But here we are. Nix now has the opportunity to transfer immediately and start for a new offense. It’s rumored that things fell apart at the finish line due to a meeting gone wrong between Bo and Patrick Nix and the coaching staff, and whatever the case, it might have been time for Bryan Harsin to clean the slate and implement an offensive system with guys he personally recruited himself.
At least under center, since I’m sure he isn’t against Tank Bigsby returning to the team after talk of him also taking his talents to the transfer portal turned into, and I’m paraphrasing and perhaps being a tad dramatic here, Jordan Belfort’s infamous Wolf of Wall Street declaration (I’m not leaving!).
Both Auburn and Bo need to look forward to the future. For Nix, that could include an inter-division jump, if he is the man Brandon Marcello is talking about:
A lot of interesting chatter in the industry the last few days. Odds are one or more of the high-profile players from the SEC West in the transfer portal go to another SEC West school. Stay tuned.
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) December 14, 2021
So let’s take a look at three schools he could consider in the SEC West:
Auburn football QB transfer Bo Nix SEC West landing spot #1: Ole Miss
Lane Kiffin is losing Matt Corral to the NFL, and that means that the program’s future is hanging in the balance.
Kiffin is not one to stay at a school for very long if he sees a better opportunity elsewhere, and there were legs behind the LSU interest in the head coach of the 10-2 Rebels. That was the highest regular season win total in Ole Miss’ history.
Bo Nix may not have the ceiling Corral has as a mobile gun-slinger, though who is to say. Perhaps Kiffin’s offensive blueprint is what has been missing to make that happen.
Auburn football QB transfer Bo Nix SEC West landing spot #2: Texas A&M
This is probably the longest shot of any of the programs listed here, but given the loss of Zach Calzada to the transfer portal as well, there is an opening on the depth chart under center for the Aggies.
Jimbo Fisher broke the hearts of the Auburn family in 2014 for the National Championship, and he could do the same by landing Nix in the portal.
Haynes King has not gotten much burn in College Station so far due to an injury during the second game of the 2021, and Nix is a proven winner against the best of the best in the division. He may be the preferable option, and who Fisher needs to get the program to the next level.
Auburn football QB transfer Bo Nix SEC West landing spot #3: LSU
New LSU head coach Brian Kelly was able to nab ESPN’s #1 QB in the Class of 2022, Walker Howard, meaning the quagmire caused by Max Johnson’s trip to the transfer portal may have been solved.
Then again, the LSU brand has taken a serious hit the last two years, and Kelly has been coaching a consistent winner in South Bend. If he doesn’t want too much of a fall-off in his first foray into SEC waters, Bo Nix could be a game-changing transfer addition.
Nix has already made legendary moments in Death Valley, specifically ending a 22-year drought of Auburn claiming victory in Tiger Stadium. The Bayou knows what Bo can do–Nix himself knows the power of a Baton Rouge Saturday crowd, giving them props in the buildup to Penn State’s White-Out game–and Nix was eyed by Ed Orgeron during his initial high school recruitment.
The fit here is pretty good if Nix wants to make it to the NFL while simultaneously resurrecting a sleeping giant. Howard waiting a year and learning under Nix could be appealing, and Kelly could use a massive moral victory after his embarrassing early gaffes as he acclimates to a state unlike any other in the nation down in Louisiana.