From the time he was a young child, Bo Nix dreamed of one thing: He wanted to start at quarterback for the Auburn Tigers. He can now say he accomplished that goal.
When head coach Gus Malzahn named Nix the starting quarterback as a true freshman in 2019, he became the second member of his family to play quarterback for Auburn University, following in his father's footsteps.
The reason Nix was adamant he would some day play quarterback for Auburn is because his father is Patrick Nix, one of the best and most efficient quarterbacks in school history.
Bo Nix's Dad: Patrick Nix
In four seasons, Patrick Nix played in 32 games, passing for 4,957 yards and 31 touchdowns. He is seventh all-time in school history for passing yards and eighth in passing touchdowns. His senior season was his best with career highs in passing yards (2,574 yards) and passing touchdowns (15).
Thanks to the fifth- and ninth-most passing yards in a game in school history, Nix threw for the seventh-most passing yards in a season for a Tigers quarterback.
Auburn went 9-1-1 in 1994 under Nix's leadership, but the program was ineligible for postseason play. The Tigers finished 8-4 in 1995, beating Alabama in the Iron Bowl before falling to Penn State in the Outback Bowl.
Patrick Nix Highlights
When Bo Nix spoke on becoming the starting quarterback for the 2019 season opener, he talked about how this has been his dream since he was a kid playing catch in the back yard with his father.
"It's a dream come true," Nix said. "I've always wanted to play quarterback at Auburn. It's a goal of mine that I've had for a long, long time; as far as I can remember. All the way back to throwing the football in the backyard with my dad, I wanted to play quarterback at Auburn.
Bo Nix Takes Over Auburn Football
When the Tigers took the field against Oregon on August 31, 2019 in Arlington, Texas, it was the first time an Auburn true freshman started at quarterback in the season opener since 1946. But with a familiar last name taking snaps, Nix showed he definitely has the talent to be a starting NCAA college football quarterback as a stud in high school and by beating out Joey Gatewood through spring practices and fall camp.
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While playing quarterback at Pinson Valley High School in Pinson, Alabama, Nix played for his father, who was the head coach, and was nothing short of dominant. He was named Alabama Mr. Football and was rated a five-star recruit by both Rivals and 247Sports. He set state records for total offense in a career (12,505 yards) and touchdowns (161) to become the top dual-threat quarterback in the country.
His father not only had a successful college career in Alabama, but he was also a college football coach before coaching his son in high school. He had stops at Samford (WR coach), Georgia Tech (QB/RB/OC), Miami (Offensive Coordinator), and Charleston Southern (WR coach) before working as a high school coach at Scottsboro and Pinson Valley.
The father and son duo won back-to-back Alabama State Championships in 2017 and 2018, the first state titles in the school's history. Bo Nix won the MVP of both title games.
Nix arrived on campus as an early enrollee, so he has been around the team for a little while and really had to work all offseason to win the starting job. And a true freshman starting at quarterback won't be out of the ordinary for SEC teams. Over the last few seasons, true freshman in the SEC like Tua Tagovailoa from Alabama and Jake Fromm from Georgia and Trevor Lawrence from Clemson have played in some of the biggest games in the country.
Nix takes over for Jarrett Stidham, who was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 2019 NFL Draft. Nix is primarily a pocket-passer, but the dual-threat quarterback can also scramble and make plays with his feet.
This article was originally published August 26, 2019.
UPDATE: Auburn quarterback Bo Nix set the Southeastern Conference on fire in year one.
Nix was named SEC Freshman of the Year after leading the Tigers to a 9-4 record and Outback Bowl appearance. Nix finished the season 217-of-377 for 2,542 passing yards and 16 touchdown passes — all of those are Auburn football records for a freshman quarterback. He added 313 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground for good measure.
Safe to say that Auburn University has a superstar in the making.
