Dan Lanning on recruiting impact of Bo Nix returning for 2023 season: 'Great players want to play with great players'

Few college football programs in the nation fared better on National Signing Day than Oregon, which landed an impressive array of 4- and 5-star talent.

But arguably the Ducks’ most significant win on the player personnel front came over the weekend when senior quarterback Bo Nix announced that he will return to Eugene for the 2023 season.

In one fell swoop, Nix’s announcement solidified Oregon at the quarterback position and ensured that the Ducks will be in the mix for a Pac-12 title, and possibly much more, next season.

Nix’s return not only bolsters Oregon from an on-field standpoint, though. According to head coach Dan Lanning, it has proved to be significant from a recruiting standpoint this week.

While meeting with reporters via Zoom Wednesday morning, Lanning was asked about Nix’s return and the boost it provided the Ducks on the recruiting trail.

“There’s no doubt that great players want to play with great players,” Lanning said. “Bo’s a really talented player that makes us strong moving forward. He certainly had a positive impact on us finishing down the stretch. We’ll continue to do that as we move forward.”

In 12 games this season, Nix has thrown for 3,388 yards, 27 touchdowns, and six interceptions while passing at a 71.5% clip. He leads the nation in rushing touchdowns among quarterbacks with 14.

While meeting with reporters last Friday, Nix had still not publicly decided on his future plans.

He was asked about his efforts to recruit talent to Oregon by way of the transfer portal and provided an intriguing response.

“You always want to leave somewhere better than you found it,” Nix said. “So, if I can help Oregon, where I’m at right this second, help them sign a guy for next year regardless of whether I’m here or not, that’s a really important thing.

“If that kid’s coming because I’m gonna be here then they’re still going to be here if I leave, regardless, next year. So they can’t just come because I’m gonna be here. There are a lot of other things that are part of the decision; they’ve got to come because they feel like they’re a fit for Oregon.

“But at the same time, if I’m here going through bowl prep, and I’m still a part of this team, I’m gonna help the team as best I can.”

Ensuring Nix’s return for the 2023 season was a crucial step for Oregon. The Ducks saw offensive Kenny Dillingham depart for the Arizona State head coaching job last month and also saw 5-star quarterback Dante Moore de-commit this week and ultimately sign with UCLA.

With Nix in the fold for next season, Lanning and newly-hired offensive coordinator Will Stein managed to pivot quickly following Moore’s de-commitment to ensure Oregon’s quarterback room isn’t lacking talent for the future.

Lanning and Stein landed a commitment from 4-star quarterback Austin Novosad on Wednesday. Novosad’s signing kicked off an impressive run that included commitments from 5-star safety Peyton Bowen, 5-star EDGE Matayo Uiagelele, and 4-star defensive back commit Daylen Austin.

While discussing Nix on Wednesdat, Lanning praised the process the quarterback took toward deciding on his future.

“We’re excited for Bo,” Lanning said. “Ultimately, my goal as a coach is sitting back and making sure Bo feels comfortable about making a decision that he has to make going forward for him. I wanted him to be able to do that with a clear mind and really have some time to sit down and evaluate his situation. I thought he did a phenomenal job of that.

“I thought he had a really strong circle of trust that he can really lean on. I want to kind of step back and let him go through that process. He did an exceptional job of that.”