Torres' Take: What the Addition of Bo Nix Means for Oregon
It's been just over a week since Dan Lanning's hire became official at Oregon, and the new head coach is already busy making moves. He went into his coaching tree to hire new Offensive Coordinator Kenny Dillingham as well as his Co-Defensive Coordinator Matt Powledge, who he spent time with at Sam Houston State.
We're awaiting the official confirmation of Marshall Malchow as the chief of staff for football, but he'll bring years of valuable experience assembling elite recruiting classes from his stops at Texas A&M and Georgia with him to Eugene.
On Sunday former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix announced he would be transferring to Oregon.
So what can we make of this move?
For starters, Nix gives Oregon a proven starter with experience playing in the sport's premier conference. No one else in that room can say they've played teams like, Alabama, Texas A&M and LSU.
That's not the main factor driving Nix's value, but it's certainly a plus when you look at the Ducks' week 1 opponent, the Georgia Bulldogs.
The main thing this quarterback room was lacking was experience. As talented as Ty Thompson, Robby Ashford and Jay Butterfield may be, none of them have seen significant playing time and as such they're all incredibly green.
By bringing in Nix you have a backup option should none of the aforementioned freshmen end up winning the job in fall camp.
Say one of them wins the job and you don't have a guy like Nix. The staff would be forced to turn to someone who has virtually no college experience. Not an ideal situation.
Nix not only bolsters the depth in the room, he'll also be able to assist the younger players in their development as they look to take their next step.
However, I do want to say the young quarterbacks absolutely deserve a shot. They've been patiently waiting behind Brown and you know fans want to see what it would look like to give a guy like Thompson a shot.
Developing the quarterback has been something Oregon has struggled with for years and finding the right guy who can elevate the offense and be a difference maker is absolutely crucial for next season.
Is Nix the best quarterback available in the transfer portal? I'm not sure I'd say that, but he's a gamer and a fierce competitor. One of my main knocks on Anthony Brown this season has been how safe he's played various situations, i.e. checkdowns and not letting it rip downfield.
We know Nix won't be afraid to take some risks.
Let's be clear, that didn't always yield good results at Auburn. But these skill players, particularly the wide receivers, deserve at least that much. This season Oregon had its deepest and arguably most talented group of wide receivers it's ever seen, and they were all criminally underutilized.
In his three seasons at Auburn, Nix threw for more than 7,000 yards and totaled 39 touchdowns against 16 interceptions. All of that came with a 59% completion percentage.
I'd like to see that rate closer to 65%, and maybe that means he needs to be a little bit more calculated in his decision making. However, he's got that gunslinger mentality. He's a playmaker with his feet AND his arm. Something the Ducks desperately need.
Add in that he's obviously going to have some familiarity with whatever Dillingham wants to run from their time together in 2019 and you've already got an established floor for this offense. I like this move by Lanning because it stabilizes the quarterback room from a depth perspective.
Another plus is that Nix has two years of eligibility, so he's not a one-year rental like we've seen in the past with Dakota Prukop and Vernon Adams Jr., two players who had vastly different seasons in Eugene.
This move shouldn't be viewed as a slight to any of the young freshmen on the roster. Competition breeds success, and iron sharpens iron. Say what you will about this move, but I like it from Lanning. It shows that nothing will be given to the younger quarterbacks, and whoever ends up being named QB1 will have to earn the job.
The Ducks haven't even played in their bowl game and we're already starting to get a clearer picture of what Oregon's outlook may be at the most important position on the field. That said, Lanning and his staff still have plenty of work to do recruiting both players on the roster as well as those in the class of 2022 and beyond.
Game on.
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