Is Ole Miss' Derrick Nix the favorite to become Auburn's offensive coordinator?

Could the Tigers' hire Ole Miss' wide receivers coach as offensive coordinator?

Author:
Lance Dawe
Publish date:
Jan 5, 2024 3:07 PM EST

In this story:

Auburn football needs a new offensive coordinator. Could Hugh Freeze look to Oxford to find his next coordinator?

Derrick Nix, a long-time coach at Ole Miss, could possibly be a candidate to replace Philip Montgomery as the Tigers' offensive coordinator.

Nix has spent the last 16 years of his coaching career as a position coach with the Rebels. From 2008-19 he coached running backs, has coached wide receivers from 2020-21 and was named an assistant head coach alongside his WR coaching role in 2022.

Hugh Freeze hired Philip Montgomery to be the first offensive coordinator of his Auburn tenure. After just one season, Montgomery was fired on Friday afternoon.

“I informed Philip today he would not be retained as our offensive coordinator,” coach Hugh Freeze said in a statement. “Philip is a good coach and a good man. Decisions like this are never easy, however, I decided this is best for our program moving forward. I’m appreciative of his efforts this past year and wish him nothing but the best.”

Philip Montgomery at Auburn football practice

Auburn's offense failed to find an identity and was inconsistent throughout the season. The lack of a passing game was a major problem for the Auburn Tigers.

Auburn's offense was ninth in the SEC in total yards with 4,566. Auburn was last of all SEC teams in passing yards this season with just 2,109 yards through the air. After finishing 10th in the conference in scoring during Bryan Harsin's final season with the Tigers, Auburn dropped to 11th in Montgomery's lone season. The offense also dropped in yards per play from 2022 to 2023, falling from 5.7 to 5.5 yards.