Loss of his OC has SB bearish on former Auburn football QB’s Heisman chances

Count Saturday Blitz’ Connor Muldowney out on former Auburn football quarterback Bo Nix being a legitimate Heisman candidate in the 2023 season at Oregon, mainly due to the loss of Kenny Dillingham and the fact that he’ll be on his third offensive coordinator in as many seasons.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning hired the mastermind behind the offensive juggernaut UTSA Roadrunners in the Conference USA last season, Will Stein, to take over play-calling in Eugene. While Nix isn’t expected to fall off, he may have trouble contending with a Pac-12 schedule that’ll include Deion Sanders’ first Colorado team, a presumably improved Washington, 2x defending conference champion Utah, and College Football Playoff contender USC.

According to Muldowney, Nix won’t fall off a cliff, but he isn’t worth throwing in a Heisman futures bet on:

"“…should we buy the Heisman hype he’s been getting this offseason and he’ll undoubtedly get in the preseason this summer?”“Right now, I’d say hold off. He’ll be playing for his third different offensive coordinator in three years and he’s losing the coach who helped turn his game around. No, he won’t crumble without Dillingham, but that’s going to affect him at least a little bit.”"

Could Auburn football have a Heisman candidate in 2023?

With Hugh Freeze now in tow, perhaps Auburn football will be relevant enough to have someone in the Heisman conversation themselves. While Tank Bigsby was a popular dark horse Heisman pick, the NFL-bound Tigers rusher never got a chance to do much behind an ineffective offensive line — particularly during the 2021 and 2022 seasons under Bryan Harsin.

When it comes to guys who could be in that exclusive Heisman conversation, the conversation starts and ends with Robby Ashford. Expecting someone without starting experience to stand out on a national scale is a tough ask, so you can rule out Holden Geriner and Hank Brown from such conversations. At least until either plays several snaps under center in 2023.

The War Rapport’s Mike Gittens believes Ashford has the talent to get to New York this December, and if he could feast behind an offensive line expected to have three new starters (Avery Jones, Dillon Wade, Gunner Brinton) in the running game while also striking through the air in opportune moments, perhaps there’s a conversation to be had.