Auburn names Bo Nix as starting quarterback for 2019 opener vs. Oregon

The starting quarterback dilemma for the Auburn Tigers has been resolved.

Head coach Gus Malzahn announced on Tuesday that true freshman Bo Nix will be under center for the Tigers in their opener against the Oregon Ducks.

There were questions going into the fall as to who would be playing the role of signal caller for the Tigers. Since Jarrett Stidham had departed, there wasn’t a firm choice for QB for Auburn as they barreled into 2019. It was either going to be Nix or redshirt freshman Joey Gatewood. In the end though, it’s now Nix’s job to lose.

The prospective forecast for Nix of course is that he starts beyond the opener against Oregon. Time will tell to see how the true freshman performs, but he’ll certainly be going against a relatively solid Duck defense. They lost a bit in the secondary this past year, but still return All-Pac-12 linebacker Troy Dye among a few other key players.

Nevertheless, this is a big moment for Nix and Auburn. It’s the first time since 1946 that a true freshman has started for the Tigers at the beginning of the year. It’s also big for Nix himself, because his father Patrick Nix was a former star QB for Auburn himself while he was in school.