Nix ‘born and raised’ Auburn
AUBURN | When you think of Patrick Nix, you think of Frank Sanders and two of the greatest touchdown passes in Auburn history. When you think of Bo Jackson, you think of the 1985 Heisman Trophy and one of the greatest athletes to ever walk on this planet.
When you think of Bo Nix, well, he's just started building his legacy.
Bo Nix, the son of Patrick and the namesake of Jackson, was named Auburn’s starting quarterback Tuesday, 11 days before the 16th-ranked Tigers take on No. 11 Oregon.
“He's all in on Auburn. He's all in. He's been born and raised all in,” said first-year offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham. “And I think for him, that's where he finds his comfort zone and being here, which is one of the hardest things to do as a freshman is: Do you feel comfortable? I'm moving somewhere new, and with new people, am I comfortable?
“Well, he's not moving anywhere. He was born and raised an Auburn baby. He'll be an Auburn player. He'll be an Auburn man. Then he'll be an Auburn dad, and he'll be an Auburn granddad.”
Bo Nix will be the first true freshman quarterback to start a game since Jeremy Johnson filled in for an injured Nick Marshall against Western Carolina in 2013. More impressively, he’ll be the first one to start a season opener since Travis Tidwell in 1946.
He played under his father at Pinson Valley where he led the Indians to back-to-back Class 6A state championships and was named Alabama’s 2018 Mr. Football and Gatorade Player of the Year. He finished his high school career as the AHSAA all-time leader in total offense with 12,497 yards and total touchdowns with 161.
Bo Nix enrolled at Auburn in January, going through winter workouts and then competing during spring practice.
“He's grown a lot, even from spring to fall, in terms of when you're an accurate passer, it goes back to the timing with guys,” Dillingham said. “So in the spring, he wasn't an overly accurate passer. He was accurate, but he wasn't accurate in scrimmage settings because he wasn't comfortable with the wideouts. You've seen him this fall, get comfortable with those guys and now that accuracy that you saw, you really get to see showcase this fall as opposed to the spring because he's more comfortable and he understands the speed of the game, which is natural for freshmen.
“But I've been really pleased with who he's been, not only on the field, but as a person, academically. I mean, he's the type of person that you want in your program.”
Patrick Nix came off the bench in the 1993 Iron Bowl for an injured Stan White and found Sanders for a 35-yard touchdown on fourth-and-15 to spark a comeback and preserve the Tigers undefeated season. A year later, Nix connected with Sanders for the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute remaining to knock off No. 1 Florida in the Swamp.
Bo Nix will have an opportunity to put his mark on the program beginning with the showdown against the Ducks Aug. 31 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Kickoff on ABC is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.