Why Bo Nix’s rocky Auburn tenure may help him more than ever in NFL: “I learned so much”

Recall is among a quarterback’s best friends.

Maybe it’s a subtle movement that gives away a defense’s intention.

A coverage that worked against you last week that now another team is trying to emulate.

A tip you found in the midst of film study that unlocks a big play in crunch time.

Maybe it’s the names of the people you come across between the parking lot and the cafeteria.

Recall is just being able to apply what you’ve learned and do it quickly. In some ways, it’s the entire job.

It’s been said in many different ways throughout training camp, but one of the most frequently cited attributes about Bo Nix is his ability to learn. He has a foundation of knowledge already built over 61 collegiate games. He’s been a starting quarterback since midway through his eighth-grade season and has consistently been ahead of the curve in terms of the playbook, preparedness and overall demeanor.

“His maturity is something that everybody’s speaking to,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said early in training camp.

On any given play, Nix might be asked to take what he’s learned previously — whether the night before in a last-minute film study or months before in an OTA walk-through — and apply it in a split-second decision.

In a broader sense, though, he is also trying to apply lessons at a slower pace. Day by day. Week by week.

One of them: How to handle the pressure that comes with being a first-round draft pick and the cornerstone of an NFL franchise that is among the most scrutinized, most followed and, oh by the way, hasn’t been to the playoffs in eight years.

“Pressure is a privilege. When you think with that mindset, you’ll take everything that happens as a positive,” Nix told The Denver Post during camp. “I’m excited to be in this situation and, when there’s pressure, that means there’s opportunity to do something special. So for me, for right now, it’s all about, ‘What can I do the next rep, the next day, to be the best that I can be?’

“And then eventually I’ll keep growing and growing and be in a spot, hopefully, where I want to be.”

That is easy enough to say. Like many areas of his game, though, Nix has experience in this department already. He’s seen it, failed at it, learned from it and grown. And while that may not guarantee A’s across the board on his first run through the NFL gauntlet, he and those around him believe it’s prepared him well to at least survive and keep swimming.

“I don’t necessarily want to put too much into the outside noise; I just continue to play my game,” Nix said. “I learned along the way you’re going to miss one every so often, and so you just have to move on. I feel like I’ve been better at moving on and just not letting it bother me and affect the next play.”

Nix learned all about the outside noise as a blue-chip high school recruit who decided to follow in his dad’s footsteps and attend Auburn. Patrick Nix threw for nearly 5,000 yards at UA over his career in the 1990s. He played a key relief role in 1993 that helped the Tigers put together an unbeaten 11-0 mark, then led Auburn to records of 9-1-1 in 1994 and 8-4 in 1995.

That made it more than just a hotly contested recruiting win for Auburn when Bo chose the Tigers over a fleet of other options in early 2018.

“His dad was one of the all-time great quarterbacks at Auburn. A legacy guy that everyone knew,” former Tigers and current Central Florida coach Gus Malzahn told The Post. “Being a quarterback at Auburn and a legacy, the pressure doesn’t get any higher than that in college football.”

Nix authored a dramatic moment of his own in his debut as a freshman starter, throwing a game-winning touchdown pass against Justin Herbert’s Oregon team in the waning seconds.

He put together what Malzahn called a “great” freshman season. Then the pandemic hit and the 2020 season was thrown into chaos.

“I think everyone knows how strange that was,” Malzahn said. “It was an all-SEC schedule and all that.”

Malzahn was fired after a 6-5 campaign and Bryan Harsin stepped in. Auburn struggled to a 6-7 mark, Nix didn’t play well and the chorus grew louder.

Nix told a podcast during the draft process that he thought SEC fans had “hostility” and Tigers fans had “almost an unhealthy obsession.” The spotlight got hot. He considered entering the NFL draft but this week said, “I felt like I could contribute more and have a higher grade than what I was projected at the time. I decided to get a fresh start, and it worked out well.”

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Did it ever. Nix and the Oregon Ducks put together a pair of sterling seasons. He won the job in 2022 and put up good numbers, then ripped off a prolific 2023 campaign in which he threw 45 touchdowns against three interceptions and completed 77.4% of his passes.

“If they win one more game he probably wins the Heisman,” Malzahn said.

All of that may not have happened as emphatically as it did had Nix not learned from what went wrong at Auburn.

“I learned so much from my three years there,” he told The Post. “How to handle the highs and the lows. And I think there’s something to remembering why you’re here. The bigger picture. Life is about more than just what happens in between the lines. It’s about the relationships you make, the people around you, what kind of teammate you are, and then that kind of bleeds into your performance on the field.”

As much as how to attack Cover 3 or sensing a blitz off the back side or getting from a bad play into a good one, this is the source material that Nix may well have to reference as often as any.

“Adversity is inevitable,” Nix said after he was drafted. “I learned that as a young kid at Auburn, but really I didn’t start, I guess, putting it into true reality until Oregon, when you go through things over, and over and over.

“No matter what situation you have, you can have it as good as you want, but you’re going to eventually face something that you didn’t expect. You’re going to go through adversity and you’re going to have highs and lows. Even though I’m going to compete and go out there and believe that I’m going to win every game, statistics show that I’m probably not. So as I go, keep that in mind, do the best I can to keep that mindset and not to lose confidence.”

Overall, Nix described transferring to Oregon as a breath of fresh air. His coaches and teammates saw him emerge from the Auburn years as a better, stronger, more battle-tested version of himself.

“He was a superstar from Day 1,” said Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, who was on Auburn’s staff in 2019 and then recruited Nix to Oregon and coached him there as the Ducks’ offensive coordinator. “Sometimes it’s a bad fit. Sometimes situations happen that are outside your control. That kid was always a superstar.”

Added Malzahn, “Through his experiences, I think that’s helped him get to this point — the experiences he’s had, the ups and downs he’s had — but he’s a special, special talent. There’s no doubt about that.”

None of this means it’s going to be smooth right out of the gate for Nix in the NFL. Occasionally a C.J. Stroud or a Justin Herbert arrives on the scene and plays great right out of the chute. More often than not, though, there are ebbs and flows.

Moments of questioning whether you belong. Humbling stretches seen by stadiums full of fans and millions more on television and social media.

Those who know Nix the best think he’s well-equipped to handle that scrutiny. Because of talent and demeanor, sure, but also because he’s walked a similar road already at the college level.

“He’s battle-tested and he’s experienced. I think that’s the biggest thing,” Malzahn said. “He started 61 games and he’s one of the more experienced quarterbacks coming out of college probably ever. He’s got everything it takes. The moment’s not going to be too big. He’s as physically and mentally tough as they come. And the dude is like a ball coach on the field.

“He understands it. He knows it. He’s got the arm. He’s got everything. I’m excited to watch him.”

Growing up in college football

Bo Nix enters the NFL having started 61 college football games, some of which were rocky (mostly at Auburn) and many of which were brilliant (several at Oregon). Here’s a look at his numbers at both stops. Mobile users, tap here to see the chart.

2024 first-round QBs

The 2024 draft saw six quarterbacks taken in the first round, tying a record set in 1983. That year, Dan Marino was the sixth man selected in a class that featured three Hall of Famers. This year, the Broncos made Bo Nix the sixth quarterback off the board. Here’s a look at the half-dozen rookie quarterbacks in the NFL, their college histories and their 2024 outlooks. Mobile users, tap here to see the chart.

Looking to buck history

The Broncos’ history of drafting quarterbacks in the first round is checkered at best. Here’s a look at the fourth other QBs taken in the opening round of the draft by Denver. Mobile users, tap here to see the chart.

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