Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix played for the Auburn Tigers before moving to Eugene. Nix played half of his collegiate career down on the Plans but his career didn’t seem to blossom until he moved to the Pac-12.
Nix is on the verge of being selected in the 2024 NFL Draft and he recently talked about his days at Auburn, which he describes as difficult at times. He says that he was able to grow at Oregon, something that didn’t feel possible with the Tigers.
At Auburn, he never threw more than 2,600 yards and 16 touchdowns in a season. At Oregon, however, Nix turned himself into a Heisman contender. He threw for over 3,500 yards in 2022 and over 4,500 yards in 2023. Nix also tossed 74 touchdowns, with only 10 interceptions, across his two seasons with the Ducks.
Nix is the son of former Auburn quarterback Patrick Nix, so he was following in the footsteps of his father who was beloved at the school.
“Same guy. Same toughness. Same competitiveness. I haven’t really developed that much physically, either. Same guy,” he told Ryen Russillo. “I just think that less opportunity and less freedom at Auburn. It was just kind of not as flexible as what I was able to be when I got to Oregon and really use my strengths and go out there and perform at a high level.”
That pressure from Auburn fans may have pushed Nix out of the program. In the three years as the Auburn starter, Nix only played one season in which the Tigers won more than six games.
Part of the problem he had at Auburn was consistency. “Good Bo/Bad Bo” was a term often used by fans to describe his play, and their passion would sometimes get out of control.
“In a sense, the hostility and maybe the unhealthy pressure added to you know 18 to 22 year olds by outside noise and fans,” Nix said. “It’s almost like an unhealthy obsession in the South.”
Ni added it was a little bit more laid back on the West Coast and that the game had more joy than in the South.
Playing in the SEC is like playing in a fish bowl, especially when your father played at the same school. Nix was able to overcome the criticism to turn himself into a potential first-round draft pick, which no one expected when he left Auburn. That’s a credit to him and his coaches at Oregon.
