While the Oregon Ducks have an abundance of talent accumulated in their quarterback room thanks to Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore, there’s still a chance that the Oregon football program will miss having Bo Nix.
That’s not to say that Gabriel and Moore are somehow worse than Nix in some way, it’s just that Nix was incredibly special for the Ducks over the past couple seasons and he helped elevate the Oregon football team alongside Ducks head coach Dan Lanning after the abrupt departure of former head coach Mario Cristobal, who left for the Miami Hurricanes.
So, the Oregon football program is preparing for life after Bo Nix.
Lanning, in an interview with Colin Cowherd, recently had a chance to reflect on Nix and the impact the quarterback had on the Ducks during his two seasons in Eugene. As Cowherd noted, Nix was something special for the Ducks.
"I love Bo Nix," Cowherd said. "He just doesn't make any mistakes. He can move, he's mobile, but he stays within the play and the structure."
And Lanning seemed to agree with Cowherd’s assessment of Nix’s playing ability and decision making, but his thoughts on the matter were more centered around what Nix brought to the Oregon football program off the field.
Oregon football: Dan Lanning heaps praise on former Ducks quarterback Bo Nix
"Well, I'm going to miss the person. He's a special individual. He's as good of a person as I've ever met," Lanning stated. "He came here with a different level of maturity, already married. I felt like we had another coach in the building."
That presence of an additional coach seemed to matter quite a bit.
"What separates Bo is how much he puts in to work. He watches more film than coaches. There's no one that's going to step on the field more prepared than Bo," Lanning explained.
So, yeah, it’s safe to say that Nix is going to be missed in Eugene. With him at quarterback, Oregon went 22-5 over the past two seasons. A considerable part of that success has to do with the fact that Nix threw for 8,101 yards, 74 touchdowns, and just 10 interceptions for the Ducks. He managed to do all that while completing 74.9 percent of his passes.
That’s a pretty special run for just two seasons of action with Oregon. Nix was really good for Oregon. He wasn’t perfect, but his presence on the Oregon football roster played a significant role in elevating what the Ducks were able to accomplish over the past two years.
Lanning discussing missing the dedication, intensity, and maturity that Nix brought to the table makes sense. Now, he’s got a really strong quarterback room to work with moving forward and the Ducks are in a really good spot right now. But, it’s fair to wonder what this team would look like had Nix not arrived in Eugene a couple seasons ago.