Former Auburn football QB Bo Nix’s return makes Oregon NFL draft deadline winners

Former Auburn football quarterback Bo Nix is returning to the Oregon football program in 2023 — and because of that, 247Sports’ Chris Hummer is calling the Ducks one of the big winners of the NFL draft deadline.

Oregon finished in the final AP Poll’s top 15 following a Holiday Bowl victory over North Carolina on December 28 that saw Nix lead a second-half comeback to stun the Tar Heels late. 2022 was a career year for Nix under Kenny Dillingham, his freshman-year Auburn football offensive coordinator, and first-year head coach Dan Lanning. To say his return singlehandedly lifts the Ducks’ ceiling in 2023 is an understatement.

That’s why Hummer didn’t mince his words when he championed Nix’s return as the primary driving force pushing Oregon into ‘winner’ territory following the NFL draft deadline for players to declare for the draft or return to school:

"“Oregon’s calculus is rather simple: Bo Nix is coming back.”“Nix had an All-American caliber season in his debut with the Ducks, throwing for 3,593 yards and 29 touchdowns against 7 interceptions while completing 71.9% of his passes. He also ran for 510 yards and 14 touchdowns. Nix returning is jet fuel for Year 2 of Dan Lanning’s regime. He’s a building block for a potential Pac-12 and national contender.”"

Robby Ashford could still help Auburn football win the ‘Bo Nix trade’

While many Auburn football fans may feel as though Bo Nix’s decision to leave the Plains has left AU decimated under center, there’s still plenty of time for the Tigers’ ‘trade’ with Oregon — which is an unofficial term for Nix transferring to Oregon while Robby Ashford, Jayson Jones, and DJ James made their way to Auburn — to look like a win for the orange and blue.

Ashford is the key to that happening. While James was one of the more consistent cornerbacks in the Auburn secondary, few would take his point-prevention over Nix’s overhaul of the Oregon offense. Should Ashford take off in 2023 under new head coach Hugh Freeze and offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery and the Tigers end up finishing at or near the No. 15 ranking by the end of next season, the trade would be an even exchange at worst.