Before making passes in the NFL, Bo Nix was the kind of collegiate athlete that the world simply doesn’t forget. Now he is the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Nix was drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft and has since been nailing it. He led Denver to its first playoff appearance since Peyton Manning rode off into the sunset. S, where did this rocket-armed wonder come from?
Bo Nix’s College Career: From Auburn Freshman Star to Oregon Veteran Leader
Nix’s football story starts in Pinson, Alabama, where he played high school football under his dad, Patrick. And Nix was excellent even then. He had 12,000 yards and 161 total touchdowns.
Before that, he had 40 touchdowns and 3,463 passing yards at Scottsboro High. By the time Nix graduated, he’d already won Alabama’s Mr. Football in 2018 and was the top dual-threat QB in his class. This also meant a big name came for him.
And Auburn was one of them. Nix went on to join Auburn, and as a freshman in 2019, he was already the starting QB.
In 2011, Bo Nix watched Auburn defeat Oregon in the BCS National Championship Game.
Tonight, Nix threw the game-winning TD to lead Auburn to a come-from-behind victory over Oregon as a true freshman. pic.twitter.com/8TZlVXtA8U
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 1, 2019
His debut was a dramatic win against Oregon. That season, he led the Tigers to a 9–4 record.
If that wasn’t enough, he led the Tigers to an Iron Bowl win over Alabama. With 16 touchdowns and the SEC Freshman of the Year honor, Nix was undoubtedly the best collegiate football player. But no story is good without some twists.
2020, of course, there was the pandemic, but there were also significant issues with Auburn’s offense. This caused Nix to finish with 12 TDs and seven picks. 2021 was a mixed bag; there were some highs, like breaking the LSU curse and beating a Top 10 Ole Miss. But there were also lows, which included Nix getting benched mid-game. An ankle injury cut his season short; by December, Nix had seen enough.
Nix was not playing his best game under new head coach Bryan Harsin, so he hit the transfer portal and joined the team he had beaten in his freshman year match. Nix joined Oregon for a fresh start. He led the Ducks to a 10–3 season and capped it with a win over North Carolina in the Holiday Bowl.
And his stats were back. Nix had 3,593 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, and 510 rushing yards. Then came the year of Nix, 2023. Oregon was in playoff contention for most of the year, and Nix was at 4,508 passing yards, 45 TDs, and only three picks.
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Nix even finished third in the Heisman voting. Though Oregon had tough matches against Washington, Nix closed his collegiate era by breaking Mac Jones’ record for single-season completion percentage at 77.45%. With 61 career starts, Nix became the most experienced quarterback in NCAA history.
Nix’s college ride was wild, unpredictable, and flat-out exciting. He’s bringing that same magic to the NFL stage.
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