Bo Nix shares thoughts on Heisman billboards; 'It speaks to how prestigious it is to play at a place like Oregon'
Over the past week, Oregon quarterback Bo Nix has become a national topic of discussion ahead of his senior year — but not for the reasons you might expect.
The Ducks’ star signal-caller is the subject of two massive billboards — one in New York City, and one in Dallas — that are intended to boost his national reputation and spark his Heisman campaign ahead of the 2023 season.
While meeting with reporters on Wednesday, Nix was asked about the genesis of the billboards and what it means to see the buzz they have generated.
“Fall camp has been great. I’ve had a great time at fall camp,” Nix said. “We’ve really connected over the last few weeks. We’ve had a lot of players step up and fill roles and a lot of vet guys, who’ve been doing it a long time, but are still old reliable. With that comes great things like billboards. It’s great for the university, I think. It’s great for the team.
“We’re not going to let it distract us. We’re going to keep the main thing the main thing, and that’s doing our best to win football games.”
Oregon coach Dan Lanning said neither he nor Nix was involved with the planning or the design of the billboards. But when university officials approached Lanning with the idea, he immediately supported it.
Obviously, Bo has done a phenomenal job and deserves recognition as well as his team,” Lanning said. “But yeah, for me, more than anything, I was like, ‘Yeah, that sounds like an awesome opportunity for Oregon to be recognized at the national level.'”
During his debut season with the Ducks, Nix was one of the most productive quarterbacks in the country. He finished the year 294-for-409 passing (71.9%) with 3,593 yards, 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He also ran for 510 yards on 89 carries (5.7 yards-per-carry) and 14 touchdowns.
At one point, he was among the frontrunners for the 2023 Heisman Trophy, but his candidacy was dented after he suffered an injury during a late-season loss to Washington.
With Oregon’s season-opener just nine days away, Vegas Insider has given him the seventh-best odds in the nation to win the 2023 Heisman.
“It’s way out of my hands. It’s a lot bigger than me. It is a blessing to be in that opportunity and be in that position,” Nix said of the billboards. “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, first of all. To even be in this situation where someone wants to do this for me, it speaks to the university. It speaks to the football program. It speaks to how prestigious it is to go to a place like Oregon.”
