Since he was a boy, Bo Nix dreamed of climbing to the highest peaks of the college football landscape. This weekend, he’s cresting one of the biggest in all of sports.
Nix grew up in Alabama, dreaming of following in his dad’s footsteps and playing quarterback in college. Those dreams would invariably end with Nix hoisting a national championship trophy, presumably with Auburn, the school at which his father played.
Fate had other plans. Nix did begin his college career at Auburn, but after three years he opted to transfer. He will finish his five years without winning a national title, but he led Oregon to the Pac-12 Championship Game last week, and has the Ducks in a New Year’s Day bowl. And this weekend, Nix is in New York City as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
His journey has taught him so many lessons, some difficult to accept, others easier. In the wake of Oregon’s loss last week, Nix made apparent the wisdom gleaned from the highs and lows of his last five years.
“I’m in an interesting position, because I’ve been flat on my face at times in college football,” Nix said in his postgame press conference last Friday. “I’ve been counted out, just kind of thrown out. The Lord picked me back up, put me right back on the field with a great team.
“I know that doesn’t always happen. I think it’s a testimony to many people out there who are going through difficult times. No matter what happens, I think the Lord has a plan for each one of us. He has a plan for our lives.”
In that postgame press conference, Nix was noncommittal about his plans for Oregon’s bowl game. But when the Fiesta Bowl matchup with Liberty was announced two days later, his decision had been made. He would suit up one more time for the Ducks.
In the age of opt-outs — and there may be some among the UO football team, to be sure — many expected Nix to sit out the bowl, and begin preparing for the NFL Draft. There’s logic there.
But all along, Nix has been driven by his childhood dreams. Those dreams primarily featured him playing in college. And with a New Year’s Day bowl game at hand for the first time in his career, Nix plans to play.
UO coach Dan Lanning announced that news this past Sunday, after the bowl pairing was announced.
“I think it speaks to his character, what he thinks of this team, what he feels like he owes the players on this team,” Lanning said. “He certainly doesn’t owe anybody anything. (But) for him to go out there and to go play, I don’t think it was really…
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