Bo Nix admits there is an 'unhealthy pressure' on SEC football players

Bo Nix has had the unique experience of being a starting quarterback in the SEC and Pac-12. Prior to setting records at Oregon the past two seasons, he was the starting QB at Auburn after signing with the Tigers as a five-star recruit.

Ahead of the 2024 NFL draft, Nix recently spoke with Ryen Russillo about the differences between playing quarterback in the SEC vs. the Pac-12. He admits that it is much different.

“Well, that’s a great question. I would say the difference is… in a sense, the hostility and maybe the unhealthy pressure that is added to 18-22 year olds by outside noise and fans,” Bo Nix said of the SEC. “It’s almost like an unhealthy obsession in the South. We’ve made it that way.”

Nix doesn’t deny that he was obsessed with SEC football growing up. He was a diehard Tigers fan who wanted to play in the league at Auburn.

But now that he has been to another part of the country, Nix questions if football fans can go a little bit overboard in the South.

“I was that way growing up. I thought it was life or death, football. And you move out here and you play the game as hard as you can and you’ve got great passion for the game. And it’s just a little bit more laid back, in a way,” Bo Nix said. “It’s a lot more like we’re proud of the person, the person you are out there on the field.

“If you give great effort and you try really hard – obviously we’re out there to win. Nobody goes out there to lose and look bad in front of a bunch of people. If only people knew that and understood that, football would be a better, healthier place.”

Bo Nix threw for more than 4,500 yards and 45 touchdowns, with only three interceptions this past season while being named a Heisman finalist. 

Nix did not reach the 2,600 yards passing mark in any of his three seasons at Auburn. His highest completion percentage during his time with the Tigers was 61 percent, and he never threw for more than 16 touchdowns in a year.

During his two seasons at Oregon, Bo Nix completed 71.9 percent of his passes and 77.4 percent of his passes during his two seasons.

The Alabama native threw for more than 3,500 yards in 2022 and more than 4,500 yards in 2023. Nix tossed 74 touchdowns, with only 10 interceptions across his two seasons with the Ducks.

Oregon also reached double-digit wins both seasons Nix was leading the Ducks, including going 12-2 in 2023.