SEC Media Day quotes from Ole Miss football players who were previously coached by Derrick Nix
SEC Media Days kicked off this week from Dallas, Texas, the fourth location for media days in as many years, chosen in the spirit of welcoming Texas and Oklahoma to the conference.
On Monday, Ole Miss was one of the teams to take the stage. Head coach Lane Kiffin was joined by quarterback Jaxson Dart, wide receiver Tre Harris, and defensive end Jared Ivey. The Rebs were forced to find a new offensive coordinator ahead of the 2024 season after Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze hired away Derrick Nix back in January. The move became official five days after Kiffin tweeted out that Nix wasn't leaving.
Nix is now the offensive coordinator and running backs coach on the Plains, but he made a big impression on some of his former players from Ole Miss during his time in Oxford, including Dart and Harris.
“He’s an incredible coach who’s looking to not only make you a better player on the field, but to make you a man,” said Ole Miss’s leading receiver in 2023, Tre Harris, per AL.com. ”One thing he always harped on was that football does end at some point. You have to be a family man and you have to be a man of God.”
Ole Miss was one of only three FBS teams to have three receivers to amass over 700 yards, and their top three combined for 2,556.
“I loved Coach Nix,” Dart said. “Great man and somebody that our team and guys really looked up to so Auburn made a really good hire.”
According to Nix, leaving Ole Miss for Auburn was a 'God-led decision' and Nix views the opportunity on the Plains as one where he can grow and develop into the best version of himself. The Tigers begin their 2024 season on August 31 against Alabama A&M.