When Derrick Nix joined Auburn’s coaching staff under Hugh Freeze two years ago, expectations that the two would put offenses on the field as they did a decade before at Ole Miss were an exciting thought for Auburn fans.
Two years later, Nix is joining the enemy.
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, the former Auburn offensive coordinator and running backs coach is expected to join Alabama’s offensive staff.
It was a whirlwind of two seasons on the Plains for Nix, as questions of who was really calling the plays on offense, a familiar question for Auburn fans since the Gus Malzahn era, came into play as the Tigers struggled to put points on the board. Hired away from Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin in January 2024, Nix was seen as the cure to Auburn’s offensive woes in 2023 in Freeze’s first year.
Auburn's offense takes off with Derrick Nix in full charge
In 2025, the Auburn offense was as anemic as it had been in quite a while, especially in SEC play, culminating in a three-point performance against Kentucky in a 10-3 loss that ended the Freeze tenure at Auburn.
With Freeze gone and Nix fully in charge, the Tigers put up major points against Vanderbilt and Mercer, then came back from a 17-point deficit against Alabama before finally falling 28-21. The 38 points that Auburn scored against the Commodores in the first game since Freeze’s hiring were the most by the Tigers against an SEC opponent outside of its 33-24 victory against Arkansas. In the previous five conference losses, Auburn averaged a measly 11.4 points per game.
With a new staff coming in under Alex Golesh and him having his own offensive schemes, it was almost assured that Nix would be looking for another job for the 2026 season. Now, he will be on the opposite side of college football’s greatest rivalry, joining just a few coaches who have coached for both Auburn and Alabama.