AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn junior quarterback Bo Nix begins his third preseason camp with 24 consecutive starts on his resume, including 18 SEC games.
"Going into year three, I've seen a lot of football," Nix said. "I've seen a lot of defenses. I've played against some of the top defensive coordinators and top defenses in the country. That's continued to add up and build to where now I feel as confident as I ever have been."
With 28 career touchdown passes, Nix ranks No. 10 in Auburn history along with Ben Leard. Two more TD passes and he'll tie Cam Newton at No. 9, three more and he'll equal his dad, Patrick Nix, at No. 8.
Nix has spent many hours over the summer studying video and preparing to operate Auburn's offense under coordinator Mike Bobo, Nix's third OC in three seasons at Auburn.
"I've gotten to learn and grow with each coach," Nix said. "My dad was a college coach, so I knew coaches would come and go, but obviously Auburn is there to stay. I chose Auburn because I wanted to go and grow as a person and as a player, and I knew Auburn would do that for me.
"Most good quarterbacks are instinctive anyway, so once the play starts they just kind of roll with what they have and they make things work. But understanding the pre-snap will tell you what the defense is not in, which can help you as a quarterback.
"The SEC is about processing information as fast as possible. The quarterbacks who succeed process information, and they get the ball out where it needs to go."42: career TDs for Bo Nix (28 pass, 14 rush)
A spread offense quarterback throughout his career, Nix adjusted to operating under center, which provides a different vantage point and allows him to keep his eyes up at all times.
"That's a different dynamic to our offense, which I'm excited about," said Nix, who will be tasked with changing play calls at the line of scrimmage based on defensive alignment.
"I'm excited because I feel I can get us in the right play," he said. "A lot of combo plays, which will give us an advantage because the defense can line up and we can get in the right play and then we can match up better against them.
"When you get this coverage, you're going here. In this offense, we have a bunch of answers that I'm really looking forward to, and I know where I'm going with the ball."
With multiple formations and protections, Nix believes Auburn's 2021 offense will challenge defenses.
"To where maybe we can get an advantage over defenses and keep defenses on their heels," he said. "And I can continue to play fast, put us in the right play, and make those throws that will separate quarterbacks from the college level to the pro level."
After adjusting to the SEC's faster speed and tighter throwing windows, Nix is challenging himself to make tough throws from the pocket, while balancing being aggressive with valuing possessions.
"I've shown it and done it in the past," said Nix, who holds Auburn's record 251 consecutive pass attempts without an interception. "I know I can do it. I've just go to continue to do it. Sometimes I've just got to pull the trigger and make those tighter throws and if they're picked, they're picked.
"Sometimes as quarterbacks we get gun shy because of not turning the ball over, but if you look at all the great quarterbacks, they threw some picks and they tried to thread the needle a little bit. That's what made them successful."
A dual threat with 14 career rushing touchdowns, the 2019 SEC offensive freshman of the year and 2020 team captain embraces the opportunity to be the first quarterback in Auburn's Bryan Harsin era.
"I'm excited to be around different coaching staffs, and I'm excited to do different things and to have a different offense," he said. "It's refreshing to do different things that will give us an advantage."Bo Nix represented Auburn at 2021 SEC Media Days
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
