When 18-year-old five-star high school superstar Bo Nix committed to Auburn in 2018, it seemed like a fairy tale. He had just been named Mr. Football in the state of Alabama, amassing over 12,000 offensive yards and 161 total touchdowns. Nix was prepared to reprise his dad’s former role as starting quarterback for the Tigers.
It was somewhat of a fantasy. As we’re all aware, Nix started with a bang, leading the Tigers to a win over No. 11 Oregon on a walk-off touchdown throw in his debut.
Nix’s magic had the Tigers undefeated through five weeks – until he traveled to The Swamp where his efforts fell well short, as he only managed 11 completions on 27 attempts while tossing three picks.
These inconsistencies would underpin the general trend for Nix’s Auburn tenure. He’d go on streaks where he’d look like the best in the nation in his position, then he’d have a game where he was the main reason for the Tigers’ shortcomings.
One week, Nix would ride the bench during the Tigers’ comeback win against Georgia St. The next, he’d be frustrating SEC defenses and fanbases alike with unimaginable improvisational skills.
Having three offensive coordinators and two head coaches didn’t provide any stability for Nix as he tried to put the pieces together.
The Tigers’ quarterback’s luck took a turn for the worse when he suffered a broken ankle against Mississippi St, ending his Auburn career. In three seasons for the Tigers, Nix finished third in program history with 7,251 passing yards and had 39 passing touchdowns.
He could’ve stayed at Auburn, but he sensed the dysfunction in the program and ultimately decided to enter the transfer portal.
Sources around college football thought Nix could transfer to UCF to reunite with the coach who recruited him in Gus Malzahn. He did reunite with a former coach, but it wasn’t Malzahn. Instead, he chose to follow his former offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham to Eugene. It’s been history ever since.
“Why not Oregon? That’s what I told a lot of people. They always have great talent and are well coached in a good conference,” Nix said. “Each and every year they’re a team that can be in the College Football Playoffs. Obviously Coach Dillingham got the job, we already had a great relationship from where he coached me in the past.”
On Saturday, Nix faced Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who’s had similar obstacles in his path en route to his development.
While not as highly touted in high school as Nix, Penix Jr. was still a three-star quarterback and the No. 21 pro-style quarterback in the nation, according to 247Sports.
He committed to Indiana just a month before Nix committed to Auburn.
A torn ACL wiped out his freshman year, forcing him to redshirt.
The Florida native came back to the gridiron with a vengeance that solidified his status as starting quarterback. He combined his instant decision-making skills with a lighting-quick release, leading to tons of explosive plays during the 2019 season. That season, he threw for 232 yards a game along with 10 touchdown passes to four interceptions in six contests.
Not bad for his first year of starting.
In 2020, Penix Jr. put himself and the Hoosiers on the national radar during the shortened COVID season, ushering Indiana to its best season in decades. Although the team only played four games that year, each outing was extremely impressive.
The stretch included wins over Wisconsin, Maryland, Penn State and a 24-0 shutout effort over Michigan State. Going into the final week of the season, Penix Jr. had the Hoosiers ranked No. 12 nationally.
They would go on to nearly upset No. 2 ranked Ohio State by way of Penix Jr. He greatly outperformed soon-to-be first-round pick Justin Fields, throwing for 491 yards, five touchdowns and a pick.
Last season was set to be Penix Jr’s best year yet, receiving mild Heisman hype preseason. Due to a lack of talent around him, those expectations were not even close to being met. Five games in against Maryland, Penix Jr. would suffer another torn ACL, effectively ending his Hoosier career.
It was a despondent ending for a quarterback who changed the program for the better. However, his prolific football career was far from over. He entered the transfer portal.
In December 2021, Penix Jr. announced his intentions to transfer to the University of Washington. The decision has significantly benefited both parties.
“I just wanted to be a part of something special, something going in the right direction. I feel like this is the best for me,” Penix said. “I knew that by coming here, I could increase my level of play, my level of understanding of the game, and all the small things. These coaches have said I can be a great player, and I knew that coming here I’d be able to be that.”
Through 10 games, Penix Jr. leads the nation in passing with 3,640 yards and 25 touchdowns to only six picks. By far his best statistical year thus far in his career. His success has correlated to a 8-2 Husky record, good enough for t-second in the Pac-12.
The No. 24 Huskies traveled to Autzen Stadium and stunned the No. 6 Ducks, 37-34.
