Bo Nix, week after Alabama remark, asked about Kiffin comments, valued time at Auburn

Published Jul. 21, 2023, 1:54 p.m.
By Mark Heim |
Bo Nix, during Pac-12 media day, was asked his reaction to Lane Kiffin’s description of the transfer portal and NIL as a “disaster.”
The Oregon quarterback, who transferred from Auburn, is proud of what he has been able to do in college football at both of his stops.
“Being a graduate transfer really set my career up for success,” Nix said in an interview with ESPN. “And I was able to choose a place like Oregon and go and be a fit to them and be that extra piece that they were needing for their puzzle. I think NIL because there are so many people that have done it before me, I really take pride in what I’ve had the opportunity to do. Being a quarterback, not only at Auburn but at Oregon, is a valuable thing. It really is nothing to be taken for granted. It’s a blessing to be a part of.”
Nix said he recognizes he had a second chance, something many athletes in the past did get.
“There have been so many guys before me that didn’t necessarily have the opportunity to where now I can benefit from it, and so can other collegiate athletes,” he explained. “I think if guys go in and do it responsibly, then it’s a great thing, but at the same time, you got to be careful, and all good things can have a dark side too. So it’s just how each person handles it. And how moving forward, college football will handle it. But, for me, it was a blessing, and there’s nothing bad I can say about it.”
It certainly worked out for Nix, who threw for a career-high 3,593 yards with 29 passing touchdowns last season. He also tied former Marcus Mariota for an Oregon record 14 rushing touchdowns.
On Thursday, Kiffin, the Ole Miss coach, spent most of his opening comments during SEC media days in Nashville laying out the issues with an NIL system and transfer portal he says are broken.
“It’s a poor system that’s getting worse,” Kiffin said Thursday.
Last week, in an interview with Pro Football Focus, Nix talked about his time at Auburn, saying he reached his goal on the Plains.
“One of my ultimate goals was to play football at Auburn and beat Alabama. I did that,” Nix, who was at Auburn for three years said. “That’s what I’ll remember. We had some fun seasons and some not-so-fun ones. That’s what made me into who I am today.”
Nix passed for 173 yards in Auburn’s 48-45 win in 2019 over the Tide.