New Auburn football OC views Tigers job as step forward from Ole Miss

Hugh Freeze's newest Auburn football offensive coordinator/running backs coach hire, Derrick Nix, views the Tigers job as a step forward in his career from his time at Ole Miss according to On3's Justin Hokanson.

"Despite Lane Kiffin's petty posts over the last few days, Derrick Nix views the OC position at Auburn as a step forward in his career," Hokanson prefaced before saying, "Joining Jake Thornton, that's now two Ole Miss assistants that Hugh Freeze has poached from Kiffin in the last year+."

AL.com's Matt Cohen explained how the lack of play-calling at Ole Miss for Nix actually saves Auburn money on the bottom line.

"The wording in here is notable: Nix will have play calling duties," Cohen prefaced before saying, "Why does that matter? His contract includes a buy out if he were to leave for an OC job without play calling duties. But since he’ll call plays at Auburn? No buy out needed."

Auburn football unlikely to promote Kent Austin to co-offensive coordinator

Cohen explained on January 12 that giving Nix the sole offensive coordinator role would be the clincher to sway him from Oxford, Mississippi to the Plains.

'How Auburn will divide out the offensive coordinator title could be fluid," Cohen prefaced before saying, "Freeze has options. With the much larger role he plans to have in the offense, Freeze may as well be effectively the offensive coordinator himself. He could, should he hire both, give a co-offensive coordinator title to both Austin and Nix.

"Should one person be given the solo title of offensive coordinator? Nix — should he be hired — would appear the most likely candidate as an incentive to leave Oxford."

There will be no hiring Austin and Nix as co-offensive coordinators. Nix is the man with the title, though Austin could become quarterbacks coach.