Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix had a bumpy ride to get to the NFL.
He started his college career at Auburn, which had been his dream since childhood. Nix followed in the footsteps of his father, Patrick, who also played quarterback for the Tigers.
The younger Nix struggled at Auburn, though, and he transferred to Oregon after three seasons for a better chance to continue starting. He got back on track with the Ducks, throwing 45 touchdown passes against just three interceptions in his final season last fall.
Despite his impressive numbers, Nix was the sixth quarterback taken in the NFL draft earlier this offseason. He watched as Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix and J.J. McCarthy were all picked ahead of him in April.
Then the Broncos used pick No. 12 overall to select Nix. The rookie quarterback believes it all happened for a reason.
“Adversity is inevitable,” Nix said during his introductory press conference on April 26. “I learned that as a young kid at Auburn, but really it didn’t start I guess putting it into true reality until Oregon when you do 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. For me, it’s really easy. My faith is really important to me.
“I’ve always been a faith-based person. I believe that God has a plan for me and my life. I truly believe that he has set this path in front of me, and he put me here in Denver for a reason. That’s why honestly, through the process, I wasn’t nervous or anxious about it one bit. I knew that I was going to go to the right spot, and the right spot is here. So throughout my college journey, there were a lot of ups and downs. The transition from Auburn to Oregon was one of the toughest because it was such an unknown thing. It was kind of stepping out on a leap of faith, but it worked out for me because you just have to trust and believe that his plans are higher than your ways.
“So that’s what I truly believe. I’m a perfect example of that. If you haven’t seen it already, you can look at my story and know that he has an individual plan for each one of our lives. He sets it out in front of us, and all we have to do is follow. Once we get to where we are, just do the best we can with what we have.”
Nix, 24, completed 74.9% of his passes at Oregon for 8,101 yards with 74 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 744 yards and 20 touchdowns in two seasons with the Ducks.
Nix is now set to compete with Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson for Denver’s starting job this summer. After overcoming adversity in college and landing with the Broncos, Nix’s future looks bright entering his rookie season in the NFL.
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