Bo Nix’s five-year college career, one that started with Gus Malzahn’s Auburn football program and ended under head coach Dan Lanning at Oregon, is in the rearview, and the Ducks didn’t waste any time in replacing the Heisman finalist who came in third behind Jayden Daniels, landing Oklahoma transfer Dillon Gabriel’s commitment on December 9.
Nix spoke out on Gabriel, neglecting to speak of him by name and admitting it was hard to objectively judge the move as a fan since he’s still preparing for the Ducks’ Fiesta Bowl matchup against Liberty.
“I feel almost like once I leave, it’s going to be—I guess I just have to be a fan again and just watch from a different point of view,” Nix said (h/t Oregon Live). “I’m happy that they’re doing what they think is best and Coach (Dan) Lanning’s going to do a good job of putting guys around the team who he thinks are going to win games. I think obviously the transfer portal worked out for me, so hopefully it continues to have a positive effect on college football.
Nix towed the company line when asked what advice he’d give to Gabriel.
“I think you got to work in silence and earn your stripes early,” Nix prefaced before saying, “Go in there and try to do what he can to win over the team. It’s going to be up to him.”
Bo Nix never spoke of his Auburn football QB replacements
Nix does not like to speak of others, oftentimes keeping the focus on the game itself and how it plays into the larger framework of his own life. Hence the lack of notable soundbites from his Gabriel statements.
Remember, Nix never spoke of TJ Finley or Robby Ashford while he was with Oregon in 2022, or Payton Thorne in 2023. He didn’t even call Bryan Harsin out by name when he explained how miserable he was on the Plains in his final season in 2021.
Nix is the wrong guy if you’re looking for a stirrer of you-know-what.
