The Bo Nix Story: The Return to Grace
By Xavier Chavez
Bo Nix, once a promising star in the realm of college football, was flaming out fast at Auburn. A change of scenery was needed. The University of Oregon was the next destination — a new home, a fresh restart.
Before Nix landed in Eugene, Ore., Dan Lanning was hired as the head coach for the upcoming 2022 season for the Ducks. This provided a completely clean slate at a successful program for Nix to walk into with no expectations to save it, unlike his time at Auburn.
This was not the first connection Lanning had with Nix. Lanning was previously the Georgia Bulldogs' linebacker coach. He faced Bo three separate times in the Southeastern Conference, defeating Auburn handily. That did not stop Lanning from believing in the potential of the shunned quarterback.
Another connection to Oregon that led Bo to his decision was the opportunity to reunite with his offensive coordinator from his freshman year, Kenny Dillingham, with whom he easily put up his best stats so far. Alongside a talented roster, the Associated Press gave the Ducks high hopes with a pre-season ranking of 11 on the top 25 list.
Right before the 2022 season, Nix came out with a damning quote about his former head coach, Bryan Harsin, in an interview with CBS Sports reporter Dennis Dodd.
“Last year, I was just kind of over it. Each week it was something else. There was, quite frankly, nothing I could do about it. I just remember kind of being miserable. It wasn’t fun anymore," Nix said.
Harsin still has not gotten a head-coaching role since his 2022 mid-season firing after going 9-12 in the season and a half he was with the Tigers.
The 2022 season put the naysayers to rest as Nix put up the best stats of his career in his fourth college season. He posted highs in completions (294), completion percentage (71.9%), passing yards (3,593) and passing touchdowns (29).
Although a 10-3 record was certainly a positive outcome for the Oregon Ducks, they had just missed out on the conference championship bid. Once he began contemplating putting his name in the draft for a very high chance to play in the National Football League, Nix knew the job was not done. He decided to return for his fifth year of college football since he had a COVID bonus year of eligibility granted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
This was just the beginning of his resurrection.
Coming into the 2023 season, Oregon came in at a 15th-ranked spot on the pre-season AP poll and with high expectations once again, despite a largely new offensive line and the loss of offensive coordinator Dillingham, who had taken the head coaching position at conference rival Arizona State.
Even with a new offensive coordinator — Will Stein — the first five weeks of Oregon football were complete domination. The offense turned into a well-oiled machine, putting up at least 38 points in each matchup, which led to a positive point differential of 39.8 across that timespan.
This masterclass of a season headlined by Nix spawned a sea of comments on social media under every post related to the Oregon Ducks.
“This is the year. Bo Nix has improved so much under this new offense. He’s focused. He’s having fun. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a dark horse for the Heisman.”
One of the biggest copypasta’s to come out of college football online communities arrived with an unknown origin; however, it can be traced back to at least the 2021 season during his time at Auburn.
The potential Auburn fans had hoped for years earlier finally arrived, unexpectedly, across the country in Eugene, Oregon.
Despite being defeated twice by the University of Washington, it was a largely dominant season by the Ducks, defeating four ranked teams out of five. They earned a 12-2 record, which placed them as the fifth-ranked team by season's end. They were just shy of making the college football playoff.
Nix was on a warpath throughout the season after putting up record-breaking stats at Oregon, holding the crown for most passing yards (4,508), completions (364) and touchdown passes (45) in a single season at the school. He also managed to break the NCAA’s single-season completion percentage record with 77.4% of his passes being caught. Deadly accuracy paired with quick, smart decision-making made him a force to be reckoned with.
Nix had an obvious case for the Heisman trophy and was invited to New York for the award earned by the best football player in the country. Unfortunately for him, he placed third, behind eventual winner Louisiana State University (LSU) quarterback Jayden Daniels and University of Washington (UW) quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
The former Auburn Tiger who shone as a potential star during his freshman year had faded, only to be born again at Oregon. The fans who believed in Bo were vindicated and the doubters were proven wrong again.
The next obstacle? The 2024 National Football League Draft.