This past college football offseason mirrored one of the NFL. The transfer portal acted like a free agency frenzy, with over 2,000 players having entered their names to find a fresh start. Two of those athletes, Bo Nix and Cameron Ward, joined programs amidst coaching turnover.
Dec.12, 2021 marks the day that Nix entered the portal. On Dec. 19, 2021, he announced via Twitter his commitment to new head coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks after he graduated from Auburn.
Nix hails from Auburn University, where his father played, in their home state of Alabama. In his time with the Auburn Tigers, Nix threw for 7251 yards, 39 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Now with the Ducks, he is off to a solid start (450 yards, five touchdowns passing) with his freshman year offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham calling plays.
“Each and every year they are a team you know could be in the college football playoff,” Nix said in his first Oregon press conference. “When Dillingham got the job, we already had that connection, that great relationship when he coached me in the past. That had a lot to do with it. Why not Oregon. It’s a great opportunity.”
A few days prior to Nix, on Dec. 9, Ward entered the portal December 9, 2021. Just over a month later he transferred to Washington State under first year head coach Jake Dickert. Ward’s decision pushed Washington State’s former starting quarterback Jayden de Laura out the door and to conference foe, the University of Arizona.
Ward is a journeyman from the University of the Incarnate Word of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. Despite not being rated as a high school prospect, Ward dissected opposing defenses en route to receiving the 2020 Jerry Rice award: FCS Freshman of the Year.
Ward set multiple UIW passing records in just six games and finished the season with 2,260 yards passing and 24 touchdowns. He threw for a career-high 470 yards and six touchdowns at Nicholls on Mar. 27, 2021, according to the UIW football.
Now in his second season, Ward is adjusting to the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and has thrown for 428 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. His former head coach at Incarnate Word, Eric Morris, serves as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Washington State. The addition of Morris has aided Ward in his transition to the FBS level, and perhaps this is the reason Ward ultimately chose the Cougars.
“With the recent change to our head coach who recruited me and provided me with my only college scholarship offer, I’m facing much uncertainty,” Ward wrote on Twitter.
All eyes will be on the matchup between these two when the Ducks travel to a hostile Pullman, Washington, environment. Washington State hasspoiled Oregon’s season in the past and will look to again in the Ducks’ first true away game on Sept. 24 at 1 p.m.
