So apparently Bo Nix won’t be heading to Ole Miss. At least that’s what the latest intel from Auburn Undercover’s Phillip Marshall is relaying.
Nix is said to not be interested in transferring within the SEC–as per being a true Auburn man with a degree to match–and he also isn’t looking to “transfer down” to the Group of Five conferences.
Burn.
An unfair one to boot. Cincinnati is in a better place than most in the current moment considering their underdog status in the College Football Playoff. Then again, they could flame out of CFP contention like Washington, who was rumored to poach Bryan Harsin this offseason.
Anyway, here’s what Marshall had to say on the matter:
"I won’t say never because things can change, but based on what I and others are hearing, former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix is not going to transfer to Ole Miss or to any other program that is scheduled to play Auburn. Nix said earlier in the week that he will not transfer down from the Power 5, so that eliminates Central Florida as well."
So that eliminates a long list of schools Fly War Eagle and others have compiled in trying to pinpoint the next Nix destination.
The nightmare UCF scenario is unlikely. Linking with Auburn man Rhett Lashlee is also likely a non-starter. Forget about Nix joining Brian Kelly’s LSU Tigers or Jimbo Fisher’s Texas A&M Aggies with Myles Brennan and Haynes King returning from injury for their respective SEC West squads.
But based on the available criteria provided from Nix’s camp, these two schools are possible Bo Nix transfer portal landing spots:
Bo Nix potential landing spot #1: Indiana
Former Tigers RB Shaun Shivers has begun the Auburn to Bloomington pipeline in earnest with an early transfer portal move to IU.
Shivers peaked during the 2020 season, falling down the depth chart this past season with the rise of Jarquez Hunter. Since Hunter isn’t going anywhere and Damari Alston is joining the backfield mix, it was a move that made sense.
Like Nix, Shivers earned his AU degree. There’s plenty of finished business, especially with Shivers’ four-year career in the rearview. The move to the Big Ten is one that no Tiger fan really had an issue with considering the lack of opportunity that exists in orange and blue for him.
Should Nix follow suit? Well, there’s quite a void left by Michael Penix Jr., who has since moved on to Washington. 2021 was an unsuccessful campaign for the Hoosiers after Penix was injured, and after a strong 2020, Hoosier fans are begging for a return to glory.
Can Nix be that in the Big Ten? Truthfully, the defenses in the Big Ten are not terribly far off from what he saw in the SEC, so it would be far from a cakewalk for Nix, who’d have to learn a whole new offense.
Bo Nix potential landing spot #2: Oregon
Was someone looking for a cakewalk? Well, the Pac-12 offers the least impressive lineup of “contenders” of any Power Five conference at the moment. With the Big 12 gaining Cincinnati and BYU in time–and having pillars like Oklahoma and Texas on hand until they do–the ACC could be competing with the Pac-12 for least impressive conference for years to come.
That is, unless their sleeping giants awaken. That’d be Clemson in the ACC and Oregon in the Pac-12.
The Ducks could return to relevance by putting Utah down next season and regaining supremacy over the college football west coast scene.
Is landing Bo Nix the way to do that? Well, with Kenny Dillingham at the helm of the offense after being hired by new head coach Dan Lanning, it’s possible he considers a jump to the Pacific Northwest to give it the old college try.
Given the familiarity with the OC and a step down in competition that isn’t accompanied by a step down in national attention, Oregon is a truly attractive option to Bo Nix.
If you ask Fly War Eagle, we maintain that Cincinnati is the best landing spot to get to the NFL. But if the G5 is simply not an option, Oregon is the next school up.