Dan Lanning reacts to Bo Nix being named Broncos starter

On Aug. 21, the Denver Broncos officially named Bo Nix the team’s starting quarterback. On Monday, Nix’s former head coach at Oregon, Dan Lanning, revealed his excitement for the young QB.

“I’m excited for Bo,” Lanning said. “You don’t know when that’s going to happen or come, and I know that’s what Bo realizes. He just went to work. He’s gone to work every single day. And now that he’s been named that — that wasn’t his goal to just become the starter — it’s to play winning football.

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“I know Bo will be humble and continue to prepare the way he always has. But I think, obviously, Denver’s a great fit for him and they’ve done a good job of developing him.”

The Broncos selected Nix with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He will be the first Broncos rookie signal-caller to start in Week 1 since John Elway in 1983.

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Nix, 24, won the job after two impressive showings in the preseason. Against the Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers, Nix completed 23-of-30 passes for 211 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He added 29 yards on the ground. 

Nix was the fifth quarterback taken in the 2024 NFL Draft but has outperformed his counterparts in the preseason. Among rookie quarterbacks, Nix ranks second in completion rate (76.7%) and first in passing yards, touchdowns and passer rating (117.5). 

“I think it’s a really good fit,” Nix said after Sunday’s 27-2 victory over the Packers. “Especially [Sunday], I came out here and was very comfortable with the first few plays that were called. They were kind of keeping it within my comfort level, and that’s huge, especially for someone’s who’s trying to get in there and execute. You want to run plays that you feel comfortable with, and that’s what coach Payton was calling.”

Broncos hoping they’ve found franchise QB in Bo Nix 

Nix has looked the part early, which should come as no surprise given his experience coming out of college. He made 61 starts across five seasons at Auburn and Oregon, the most in NCAA history for a quarterback. Nix had more NCAA passing yards (15,352) and completions (1,286) than any other first round pick in NFL history, according to The 33rd Team. 

The Broncos are hoping Nix is their guy for the future, though they’ve been here before. Since Peyton Manning‘s retirement after the 2015 season, 14 different quarterbacks have started under center in Denver. Only Trevor Siemian (13-11) and Brett Rypien (2-1) posted a winning record.

On3’s Nick Geddes also contributed to this article.