Bo Nix loved Auburn football so much growing up that he imagined himself in a Tigers uniform playing whoever AU had recently played according to his younger brother, Caleb.
“It was always Auburn. No matter where our dad was coaching, it was always Auburn. It was us pretending to be Auburn vs. whoever they played the day before,” Caleb said (h/t The Denver Post). “It was an imaginary game.”
Hearing Caleb describe Bo's love of Auburn growing up makes his feeling miserable under Bryan Harsin all the more heartbreaking. And beyond Harsin, Tiger fans turned on him as Gus Malzahn failed to replace Kenny Dillingham with a capable offensive coordinator in 2020; going with Chad Morris in what turned out to be his final mistake on the Plains.
Bo Nix's father proud of how he handled spiraling Auburn football situation
Patrick Nix shared on April 26 following the first round of the NFL draft the day before that he was proud of how his son handled the spiraling situation at Auburn and his renaissance -- though that word undersells the massive improvement Bo showed at Oregon -- during his two years in Eugene.
“It’s not about when adversity comes, because it is coming. It’s how you handle it. I was very proud of how he responded. He had a chance to toughen up and mature at Auburn, and when he went to Oregon he was a little bit more mature, more experienced, maybe not as naive as when he first walked into Auburn of how the real world is,” Patrick said. “He was able to grow a lot, and that was rewarding to see how much he learned from his experience and not be bitter about it.”
Bo has a chance to resurrect a Denver Broncos franchise that hasn't been to the NFL playoffs since a Super Bowl 50 victory with Peyton Manning under center. With Sean Payton in tow and his star Ducks teammate Troy Franklin joining him, Nix is in the catbird seat in the Mile High City.