AUBURN, Alabama — The modern era of Auburn football will enter a new frontier in 2019, and the Tigers will do it with a familiar name leading them on the field.
Freshman Bo Nix will start at quarterback for No. 16 Auburn in the season opener Aug. 31 against No. 11 Oregon, a person familiar with the decision tells Auburn Undercover. Malzahn informed the team Tuesday afternoon.
Nix beat redshirt freshman Joey Gatewood for the job in a battle that raged through the spring, summer and 14 practices in preseason camp.
For Nix, it’s a dream come true to follow in his father’s footsteps as an Auburn quarterback. For Auburn, it’s a piece of history.
Nix will be the first true freshman to open the season as the Tigers’ starting quarterback since 1946, when single-wing tailback Travis Tidwell led the Auburn offense. He led the nation in total offense (1,715 yards) at a time when freshmen were eligible to play college football because of a shortage of available players during World War II.
Like Tidwell, Nix hails from the state of Alabama. The decision comes at a time when true freshmen have been handed the reins of offense more often than ever at big programs such as Alabama, Georgia and Clemson, the national champion last season.
In fact, the last two national champions were led by true freshmen at quarterback: Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa leading a comeback victory against Georgia in 2017 and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrenceblowing out Alabama 44-16 in 2018.
