More schools announced that their quarterback battles had come to a close today with the start of the season a little over a week away. Auburn took center stage in this regard on Tuesday when Gus Malzahn decided to make freshman Bo Nix his starting quarterback for the school’s opener.
OFFICIAL: @CoachGusMalzahn has named @bo_nix10 the starting quarterback.#WarEagle x #RidefortheBrand pic.twitter.com/hNVObvJ8M4
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) August 20, 2019
Nix will become the first true freshman to start at quarterback for Auburn since 1946. He was seen as the underdog for much of the summer in his battle with redshirt freshman Joey Gatewood, but he persevered and won the job.
Nix has some awfully big footsteps to follow. He is the son of Auburn legend Patrick Nix, who was a Tigers quarterback from 1992 to 1995. The elder Nix helped lead Auburn to an undefeated season in 1993, and he left campus as one of the best passers in Tigers’ history.
After spending 15 years coaching at the collegiate level, Patrick Nix made the move to coach high school football starting in 2013. He coached Bo Nix throughout his high school career, and the two led Pinson Valley High School to their first state championships in football. The younger Nix left the school as Alabama’s all-time leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and total touchdowns.
Although Nix has been named the starter, many around the program expect Auburn to use both Nix and Gatewood in their opener against Oregon on August 31. That game will be played in Arlington, Texas and it is the only game between ranked teams on the opening weekend of college football. It will be a rematch of the 2011 BCS National Championship Game where Auburn beat Oregon with a chip-shot field goal as time expired.
The decision to make Nix the starting quarterback this season, could portend great things for Auburn. Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa both led their teams to titles as true freshmen.
H/T 247 Sports
