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What Bo Nix learned from Dan Lanning

ByDale Bliss|
At Auburn Bo Nix was a 59 percent passer. At Oregon he set a national record for accuracy and developed into a first round draft pick.
At Auburn Bo Nix was a 59 percent passer. At Oregon he set a national record for accuracy and developed into a first round draft pick. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bo Nix let the cameras into the weight room for an NFL documentary.

Between sets and out of breath he told the crew, "My coach at Oregon, Coach Lanning, used to tell us, 'It's all about the illusion of choice.'"

"People think they have a choice in life. But they really don't."

"There is no choice. You do it, or, I guess you get left behind."

"It doesn't matter if I wanted to be doing this or not. I'm doing it."

Filming continued as Nix went to his next set.

At Oregon Bo Nix embraced the choice to become great. The work. The grind. He applied himself in training and the film room to transform from a 22-14 quarterback at Auburn to the No. 12 pick in the first round with the Ducks.

Nix grew smarter, more effective and more consistent. Under offensive coordinators Kenny Dillingham and Will Stein he learned to take the easy yards and use his speed and mobility to create more positive plays. He eliminated the rash decisions and lapses of judgment.

As a sophomore at Auburn in 2020 he completed 59.9 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, 2,415 yards passing. As an extra-year senior with the Ducks in 2023 he threw for 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns, picked just three times, a Heisman Trophy Finalist at 12-2 and MVP of the Fiesta Bowl.

Nix's transformation was total, and it started with accepting that choosing between maligned, inconsistent and erratic versus disciplined, mature and focused wasn't a choice at all.

He went to work, and now he's making $4.6 million a year as the quarterback of a playoff team and Super Bowl contender.

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