Bo Nix is one of my favorite quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Most draft enthusiasts are already well aware of his lengthy college career at Auburn and Oregon. He played five full years as a starter, beginning in Auburn from 2019-21 and then transferred to Oregon for two more seasons in 2022 and 2023.
As a five-year, full-time starter, Nix set the NCAA record for total number of games started at the position with 61. He ranks sixth on the all-time NCAA Division I FBS career passing yards list with 15,352. He ranks tied for fourth all-time in total touchdowns with 152.
His experience as a starter is clearly a major contributing factor for him being one of the top statistical quarterbacks in college football history. In the past, draft prospects who stayed in college four or five years have been seen as having slightly less desirable profiles than early declares. They could be seen as being older college players whose success came against younger players. They could be seen as having lower ceilings and less potential development at the NFL level.
There’s a good case for early declare status still mattering when it comes to draft prospects. But today’s college football world isn’t the same as it once was, and when it comes to Nix, I think his long college career is a significant positive on his profile.
Nix took advantage of changes to NIL, transfer rules and NCAA eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s far from the only player with these unique statuses, but they significantly boosted his five-year career. With Nix, there’s no concern about sample size in his evaluation. He found a great fit in Eugene, Oregon and played fantastic football in his final two seasons, competing late into his final season for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
What I like so much about Nix is his late career development as a quarterback. His passing volume, efficiency and production all spiked after he transferred to Oregon. In my eyes, this is a fair representation of what his development could have looked like had he been drafted out of college as a true junior. Nix was dominant in years four and five, and that makes me confident he’ll be a productive starter at the next level.
When I watch Nix, I see a big-bodied, big-armed, accurate, athletic quarterback who was operating his offense at an extremely high level. He makes plays with his legs and has a particular nose for the goal line when executing designed runs from in close. In 2022, Nix had 89 rush attempts for 510 yards and 14 touchdowns in 13 games. That’s pretty ridiculous rushing production for a quarterback who also completed over 70% of his passes that season, threw for 3,593 yards and a 29:7 TD:INT ratio.
Nix’s rushing numbers dipped in 2023, but he made up for it in eye-popping fashion by increasing his passing totals to 77.4% (an NCAA record), 4,508 yards and a 45:3 TD:INT ratio.
Of course, Nix isn’t in the top 10 discussion right now for the NFL Draft at the end of this month. To many, he’s not even a top five quarterback in the class after Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr. (who ranks closer to Nix as a potential mid-first round pick).
The Vikings, Broncos and Raiders currently hold picks 11-13 in the draft and could all be potential landing spots for Penix Jr. or Nix. Other teams could move around the draft board as well to take a shot at Nix later in the first round or even the second. When it comes to Nix, I don’t think falling to the second round would be much of a problem at all, assuming he lands in a place where he actually has a chance to compete for playing time.
That quarterback carousel is always rotating in the NFL. If Nix gets a real opportunity to play early in his career, he could stick as one of the league’s above average starters for years to come.
Elijah Southwick is the lead sports content writer for Degen Magazine. His work has appeared in several news and sports publications.