2023 season ‘deciding factor’ for former Auburn QB being NFL first-rounder

Former Auburn football quarterback Bo Nix may or may not be a first-round NFL draft talent, with the 2023 NCAAF season determining the Pinson High School product’s fate according to Vikings Wire’s Kevin Fielder. The Oregon QB must prove he could thrive without former Ducks and Tigers offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, who is now the head coach at Arizona State, according to Fielder.

“Next season will almost act as the deciding factor for Nix” Fielder wrote. “Dillingham is no longer his offensive coordinator, accepting the head coach position at Arizona State, and Nix will have to build upon his strong 2022 with former UTSA play-caller Will Stein at the helm. If Nix improves, it’s possible that he can sneak into the first round, especially with the uncertainty at the position outside of Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. However, Nix’s struggles in the SEC with Auburn are hard to forget.”

Will Stein was at the helm for a No. 12-ranked season offensively for UTSA as the co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, so there’s certainly confidence in Eugene and elsewhere that Nix could once again put up over 3,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards. As for the struggles in Auburn being hard to forget? Well, they certainly get harder as Nix’s name continues to move up the NFL draft board.

Payton Thorne stabilizes Auburn football QB position for the first time since Bo Nix

In 2022, Oregon doubled the Auburn football win total. That certainly made the Ducks look like the winners of the Nix “trade” that saw Jayson Jones, DJ James, and Robby Ashford go to the Plains in an ultimately coincidental talent exchange between the two programs via the transfer portal.

In truth, the Tigers could end up in a better place than Nix if Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne turns out to be a good fit for Phillip Montgomery’s offense. Oregon faces increased competition in the Pac-12 with improvement expected from Utah, Oregon State, Washington, and USC, while AU has a new coach with a proven SEC track record in Hugh Freeze.

Thorne, who can be considered in many respects to be the true successor to Nix given the struggles Ashford and Texas State transfer TJ Finley had last season in Auburn, can stabilize a position in 2023 that had ultimately gone unaddressed in 2022.

If he does? Perhaps Nix ends up with orange and blue FOMO.