After three years as the starting quarterback on the Plains, Bo Nix set the Auburn football community ablaze when he announced his decision to transfer after Bryan Harsin’s first season with the Tigers.
Nix ended his career as an Auburn Tiger with a promising start to the 2021 season and an incredible game against LSU in Death Valley, but an unfortunate ankle injury led to Nix sitting out the end of the season and turning the offense over to TJ Finley.
While fans were certainly ambivalent about the progression of Nix as Auburn football’s starting quarterback over his three-year career on the Plains, many were optimistic that he would continue to grow under Harsin’s coaching. However, Nix instead elected to enter the transfer portal as a graduate and ultimately chose to take his talents to Oregon.
According to Will Backus of 247 Sports, the decision to become a Duck was an easy one for the former Tiger, and reuniting with former Auburn football offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kenny Dillingham played a big role:
"“Why not Oregon? That’s what I told a lot of people,” Nix said this weekend when asked why he decided on Oregon, via DuckTerritory. “Always have great talent, Always well-coached, a good conference. Each and every year they are a team you know they could be in the college football playoff. That could be intriguing. Obviously with coach (Kenny) Dillingham and Lanning, when Dillingham got the (offensive coordinator job), we already had that connection, that great relationship when he coached me in the past. That had a lot to do with it. Why not Oregon. It’s a great opportunity.”"
After playing three seasons with three different offensive coordinators on the Plains, it’s no surprise that Nix would have interest in playing for a familiar coach. Nix will spend the offseason competing with Ty Thompson for the Ducks’ QB1 position while TJ Finley, Robby Ashford, Zach Calzada, and Holden Geriner battle it out on the Plains.