Bo Nix is still trying to make up his mind on a potential return to Oregon for the 2023 season.

The first-year Duck quarterback has a fifth year of eligibility because of the COVID waiver issued by the NCAA in 2020. Should he choose to use it, he could return to Eugene for a second season with coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks. Doing so would mean working with another new offensive coordinator, but it could also mean helping Oregon challenge for a Pac-12 championship.

In his first season in the Pac-12, Nix looked like a Heisman candidate for most of the season. An injury late in the year poured cold water on that candidacy, and then Kenny Dillingham’s departure for Arizona State shortly after a loss to Oregon State brought the regular season to a dud of a finish.

Nix could decide he has unfinished business, or he could look at his four years in school and say it’s time to try his luck at the next level.

Either way, he plans to play in the Ducks’ bowl game against North Carolina. Nix is “still trying to figure things out” beyond that, he told reporters on Friday.

If Nix returns for 2023, he makes Oregon one of the early favorites to challenge for the league crown. When things were rolling, the Ducks looked like a threat to make the College Football Playoff this season. In Eugene, Nix was his best self, throwing for 3,388 yards and 27 touchdowns through the air and rushing for another 504 yards and 14 scores on the ground.

Should he choose to exit, though, Oregon will be in an interesting spot. The Ducks are hoping to sign 5-star quarterback commit Dante Moore in the coming weeks. If they reach the finish line on that recruitment, Moore will join a quarterback room that also features former blue-chip recruit Ty Thompson.

Jay Butterfield has entered his name into the transfer portal, meaning the Ducks could go into the spring with just two scholarship quarterbacks. Would Lanning look to the transfer portal to bolster depth in the room? It would seemingly be hard to find a portal quarterback who would want to be nothing more than a depth add at a new school.

Of course, things get prickly in a hurry if Moore flips. There’s been plenty of buzz on that front as the Early Signing Period approaches. Some think Moore’s recruitment will be a window into Nix’s decision — if he leaves, Moore ends up at Oregon; if he returns, Moore could be headed somewhere else.

The waiting is the hardest part, and it looks like Oregon fans will have to wait a bit longer.