Auburn has a lot of questions marks heading into the 2021 season as Bryan Harsin tries to find the magical formula in his first year in charge of the Tigers.
One of those questions is the play of quarterback Bo Nix who regressed in almost every single way last season after being named the SEC Freshman Player of the Year in 2019.
The good people over at 247Sports know how important the now-junior signal-caller is to the success of the Tigers this upcoming season, listing him as the biggest factor for Auburn this year.
QB1 needs to be a difference-maker. No doubt there are more questions than answers for how Auburn is going to look this season under first-year coach Bryan Harsin, notably at the wideout spot and certain areas defensively, but if third-starter Bo Nix doesn’t produce his best campaign at quarterback, above-average play in those other spots isn’t going to amount to much. That’s how important No. 10 is the Tigers’ success in 2021. Nix is playing for his third offensive coordinator in three seasons and has struggled to find any semblance of a rhythm. Perhaps that changes under Harsin, who will likely take a stubborn approach in the ground game with Tank Bigsby and alleviate some of the pressure off Nix from a production standpoint.
Playing behind a veteran offensive line this season, Nix looks to improve on a season in which he completed 59.9% of his pass attempts for 2,415 yards and 12 touchdowns to seven interceptions.
With no clear No. 2 at the position behind him, the offense will depend on Nix to be both productive and stay healthy.