While freshman quarterback Bo Nix is preparing for his first true collegiate road game and first encounter with an SEC opponent in Texas A&M; this won’t be his first encounter with Jimbo Fisher, the Aggies' head coach
That’s because Nix’s father, Patrick Nix, was coached by Fisher during his tenure as the quarterbacks coach at Auburn. Patrick Nix was an Auburn quarterback from 1992-95.
1993 also happened to be the first year Fisher took over as the Auburn quarterback coach, eventually leaving in 1998. This familiarity with Patrick Nix and his family hasn’t gone away over the years.
“Their quarterback, Bo Nix, is an outstanding young man,” Fisher said. “I’ve known Bo for a long time. His father played for me and was one heck of a football player. Not only that, he’s a competitor and has a football mind, one of the best I’ve ever been associated with.”
For some freshman, traveling to one of the biggest stadiums in the country to take on the 17th-ranked Aggies and their ‘12th man’ may be a daunting task, but Nix has shown so far that he is not afraid of the moment.
“It’s going to be tough and I know that at the start of the week," Nix said. "I’m going to have to do my very best to prepare and do my job so that I can help the team as much as I can come Saturday and it’s not a big shock to me, and I’m not a little behind. So I have to focus on my job so I can start fast like the rest of our guys.”
So far Nix has completed 44-of-84 (52.4 %) totaling 545 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Nix has also rushed for 79 yards on 16 carries (4.9 yards per carry) with one touchdown.
For Fisher, Nix’s abilities haven’t gone unnoticed.
“He’ll have a lot of intangibles in his blood that some other freshmen may not, from just the experiences of being around those things,” Fisher said. “We have to prepare for no matter what they do with him. But he’s an outstanding player, he can beat you. He has a great arm, he’s got great legs and he’s a very tough competitor and a very smart young man.”
The No. 8 Tigers and the No. 17 Aggies kick off at Kyle Field on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CST on CBS.
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