There was a time when the average Oregon football fan wasn’t so sure about quarterback Bo Nix. He was that freshman that beat the Ducks in the last second in Dallas to lead Auburn to yet another bone-crushing victory over Oregon.
There was a time the thought was Oregon would be fine without him. Now the feeling is just the opposite.
Nix isn’t that transfer from the SEC anymore. After a great season where he led the Ducks to a 10-3 record and a Holiday Bowl win over North Carolina, Nix is now the leader of the team, and head coach Dan Lanning isn’t shy in saying he expects a lot out of his fifth-year senior signal caller.
“I had a long (talk) with Bo yesterday. There’s a big difference in where he is this year compared to where he was last year,” Lanning said. “It was kind of earning the respect versus he’s earned the respect. So now it is that leadership role that is expected for Bo. He’s expected to step up and he has those traits. He’s been that guy, but certainly, you want the best from your best players. He’s proven to be one of our better players, especially in this conference and in the nation at quarterback. Want to see that carry over to the field.”
If it does carry over, and no one thinks it won’t, Oregon is set up for quite the season. Nix is expected to be a Heisman candidate just like he was last year before the ankle injury slowed him down for the last three games of the regular season. The Ducks will be a Pac-12 favorite and a possible dark horse for a College Football Playoff appearance and Nix’s on-the-field leadership and presence will be a huge factor if all of that comes to fruition.
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