Joe Burrow hand picked Jordan Palmer from the crowd. Burrow wanted some hands-on training with an expert ahead of the draft, and back in January he selected the well-respected QB guru Palmer as a mentor. Burrow trekked out west to train with and seek advice from the former NFL QB, who has played a hand in producing plenty of high-profile signal callers over the years.
That list includes Deshaun Watson, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, former Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham, Kyle Allen and Drew Lock. NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes has also been a camp counselor for Palmer.
Suffice it to say Burrow is in proven hands working with Palmer, as the likely No. 1 overall pick looks to better his game in the little time he has left before he's a professional player.
So at the beginning of March, Burrow, along with Darnold, met out in Dana Point, Calif., to receive instruction from Palmer; respectively, the 2019 Heisman winner and the New York Jets' starting QB on the same field — an overwhelming amount of talent flashing under the California sun.
In the middle of it all was Bo Nix.
Over his spring break — before the coronavirus shut down travel and football for everyone — Nix flew out to Dana Point, aiming to improve and learn under some college football greats.
"Obviously you can learn so much from them," Nix said Thursday on a teleconference with reporters. "And you can soak up so much knowledge from them and how they play the game and just how to go about playing quarterback on a level like that."
Palmer's teachings are nothing new to Nix; he's worked at Palmer's camps and at training sessions since Nix was represented in the The Opening in high school.
The way Nix saw it, traveling to work with Palmer during a free few days was a no-brainer move. He's been doing so since well before he became Auburn's starting quarterback.
"I just go out there for guidance and advice from him because obviously he's trained many good ones, and he still trains — those guys come back and train with him," Nix said of Palmer. "And then obviously, this year he had Joe and he's training some really good quarterbacks."
Still, getting to work with the likes of Burrow, the most prolific single-season passer in college football history, was no small thing for a up-and-coming SEC signal caller like Nix.
After all, the rising sophomore has spent much of his newfound free time during isolation poring over the film of Burrow, along with other recent quarterbacks in the conference that achieved greatness.
"I've been studying some other quarterbacks around the league over the past couple years — seeing the kind of success they had and how they had it," Nix said. "I think it's important, without having a spring practice, to watch as much video as you can, kind of to get those mental reps without having practice."
Nix said he knows most would assume the chat while around elite talents like Burrow and Darnold would revolve around football. It's a funny thing, though, he said, that the topics of conversation never really gravitated that way. Nix didn't recount any sage words of wisdom from Burrow on how to rule the SEC. But his talks with the quarterbacks were just as valuable in his eyes.
"At the end of the day, we're just quarterbacks and two kids that want to get better," Nix said. "So we just kind of had real life, normal conversations. And I mean we love football, and you can see that in the conversations, whether it's me and Joe, me and Sam, whoever it is talking. They're just down-to-earth guys, and they really enjoy talking to other quarterbacks and learning themselves.
"I think throughout the whole process, I just realized no matter what stage you are or you are on or no matter what stage you're about to go to, it's important to stay level-headed and be humble and encourage the guy beside you."
Nix is now away from his teammates for the longest amount of time he can recall in his football career. His days are spent working with his father, former Auburn quarterback Patrick Nix, and his brother, 2022 QB prospect Caleb Nix.
He's grateful for the family time, and he's also glad he was able to get valuable instruction during spring break before the virus broke out in America. There aren't often off days for college athletes, and Nix was glad to have the time in California.
Now he's ready to have no off days, and to be back inside the Auburn practice facility.
"That’s probably one of the hardest parts is not being around [teammates]," Nix said. "Spring practice is so much more than just practice. Obviously you’re around each other all the time so you really get to know each other, through meetings, through locker room talks and obviously you’re going to school and you’re eating dinner with them every night. That’s probably been the biggest adjustment, is not being around the guys. I feel like I haven’t seen them in a long time, even though it’s only been a month or two.
"I’m just really looking forward to getting back with them and being able to hang out with them and just playing football again with them."
