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By Robert Read
Life & Trends Reporter
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No quarterback in college football history has started more games than Oregon's Bo Nix.
The 23-year-old made his 54th career start last weekend, an NCAA record for a quarterback, in a 38-24 Oregon win over Washington State. That moved Nix ahead of a slew of former players — and current Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman — on the all-time leaderboard. Nix has been playing college football so long that one of the QBs he played against as a true freshman, Oregon's Justin Herbert, has now made 55 starts ... in the NFL.
This is Nix's second season as Oregon's starting signal caller after transferring from Auburn, where he was the top QB for three seasons. And Nix's final college campaign may end up being his best.
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The Pinson, Alabama, product has thrown for 2,089 yards and 19 touchdowns, compared to only one pick, for the 6-1 Ducks. Oregon's only loss this season came two weeks ago in a top-10 shootout with Washington that ended 36-33 when the Ducks missed a last-second field goal.
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Another ranked Pac-12 opponent awaits this weekend. No. 13 Utah hosts No. 8 Oregon at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Utes are the reigning conference champions and just downed USC. ESPN's College GameDay will be on location for this top-15 matchup, and the game will air nationally on Fox.
Ahead of Nix's 55th start, here are five things to know about the QB.
Decorated High School Career in Alabama
Alabama is a football state. And Nix is one of the few athletes to earn its prestigious "Mr. Football" title.
Nix set Alabama state records with more than 12,000 career total offensive yards and 161 touchdowns accounted for (127 passing, 34 rushing). Pinson Valley High School won back-to-back Class 6A state championships with Nix under center. Nix earned Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year, USA Today All-American honors and other accolades during his decorated high school career.
247Sports rated Nix as a four-star recruit and the No. 1 dual-threat QB in the nation.
Followed Father's Footsteps to Auburn
Nix received interest from Clemson, Florida, and in-state power Alabama — among other schools — during his standout prep career. But the QB had a good idea of where he wanted to go to school. The 6-foot-2, 217-pounder committed to Auburn relatively early in the recruiting process, verbally committing nearly a year before he officially signed.
Not that it was an unexpected move.
Nix's father, Patrick, played quarterback at Auburn from 1992-95. The senior Nix threw for 4,957 yards, 31 touchdowns and 16 interceptions during his Tigers career. Patrick Nix also served as Bo's high school head coach at Pinson Valley.
Record-Setting First Season at Oregon
Nix became the first Auburn freshman to start at quarterback in a season-opener since 1946 when he took the field to start the 2019 campaign (oddly enough, that game was against Oregon). The QB was named SEC Freshman of the Year for his play that season. And over three years as the starter at Auburn, Nix threw for a combined 7,251 yards and 39 scores.
But after three years with the Tigers and a variety of coaching changes, Nix described himself as "miserable" and in need of a fresh start. That's where Oregon came in.
"Why not Oregon?" Nix said ahead of the 2022 season on his decision to transfer out West. "That's what I told a lot of people. [Oregon] always has great talent. Always well-coached in a good conference. Each and every year they're always a team that can be in the College Football Playoff, and so that was intriguing."
Nix's first season in Eugene was a productive one. The former SEC QB set an Oregon record for completion percentage (71.9 percent) and accounted for 43 touchdowns. The Ducks won 10 games last season, including the Holiday Bowl over North Carolina.
Including his stats to start this season, Nix is the first player in FBS history to account for at least 55 touchdowns at multiple schools.
Brotherly Connection With Tez Johnson
One of Nix's favorite targets at Oregon also happens to be his brother.
Wide receiver Tez Johnson, Nix's adopted sibling, ranks second among all Oregon players in catches (28), receiving yards (368) and touchdown receptions (four) this season. Johnson spent the first three seasons of his college football career at Troy before transferring to Oregon ahead of the 2023 season. Nix's first completed pass this year was caught by Johnson.
"Really a dream come true," Johnson said after the season-opener. "I always pictured it this way. It was just surreal just being able to play in this stadium."
Added Nix: "First day he moved into our house, he's wearing an Oregon sweatshirt and the next thing you know, we're playing football together at Oregon after neither one of us went there out of [high school]."
Nix's other brother, Caleb, also plays college football as a backup QB at Clemson.
Aggressive Heisman Campaign for Nix
Rather than enter the 2023 NFL Draft, Nix announced ahead of last year's bowl game that he was using his final season of eligibility and returning to Oregon for the 2023 season.
"Bo has unfinished business," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said at the time.
Along with trying to win the Pac-12 or reach the College Football Playoff, Nix may also have some unfinished business, to use Lanning's words, with the Heisman Trophy. Before Nix even took a snap this season, an aggressive marketing campaign, possibly aimed at Heisman voters, was launched. "Bo Dacious" Billboards were put up in New York City and Dallas. A similar ad was placed in The New York Times, and Nike T-shirts with the phrase are available.
Nix has the sixth-best odds (+1300) to win the Heisman as of this week, per DraftKings Sportsbook. Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy has the best odds (+240) entering Week 9.
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