Bo Nix discusses possibility of reuniting with Gus Malzahn at UCF

Bo Nix has spoken with a lot of coaches since entering the transfer portal, including UCF’s Gus Malzahn. In a Friday appearance on the Next Round, the former Auburn quarterback addressed the possibility of teaming up with his old coach.

“Coach Malzahn and I talked before I even got in the transfer portal,” Nix said. “He called me afterward saying that he was kind of shocked but he understood. I’ve talked to a lot of different coaches and a lot of outlets are open. Coach Malzahn and I had success. I think UCF, with the position they’re in with their quarterback leaving, why wouldn’t they reach out? There’s a lot of speculations and a lot of rumors, but I do believe I had it set up at Auburn. I had a great situation there. I wouldn’t go down, necessarily, and I wouldn’t trade what I had at Auburn for anything else.

“I think UCF is a quarterback away from going undefeated in their league. But I also think there’s other chances to go somewhere else and have a great situation. You can go up or down, whichever you choose. It’s just one of those things that’s a personal preference and it’s kind of tricky because there’s a lot that goes into it. It’s not just like, ‘Oh, I can go here and win a bunch of games.’ There’s a lot more on the line.”

Nix signed with Malzahn and Auburn in 2019 as the No. 33 overall prospect in the nation according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

They spent the next two seasons together, compiling a 15-8 overall record. The quarterback won SEC Freshman of the Year in 2019, setting school freshman records for passing yards (2,542) and touchdowns (16). Malzahn and Auburn parted ways at the end of 2020 after the Tigers finished just 6-4.

The coach landed at UCF, which has made a name for itself as one of the top Group of 5 schools in college football. The Knights went undefeated in back-to-back regular seasons from 2017 to 2018. In Malzahn’s first season, they finished 8-4.

UCF starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel has announced already his intent to transfer from the program. With the open spot and connection to Malzahn, it seems like a perfect fit for Nix.

However, based on his comments from Friday, it seems a reunion between Bo Nix and Gus Malzahn might be too good to be true.