Three words went out like the bat signal, giving the Oregon fanbase as big a win as any can get this bowl season.

Bo is back.

Star Oregon quarterback Bo Nix will return for a second season in Eugene — both he and the school announced on Sunday — giving the Ducks a significant boost and a bit of stability as they head into what could be an eventful Early Signing Period. The Ducks’ 2023 5-star quarterback commit has been heavily rumored to flip, and doing so now would leave the Ducks with little time to try and find a comparable replacement.

But with Nix returning for 2023, the Ducks will have a tried and true Heisman Trophy contender to run the offense in coach Dan Lanning’s second season.

Nix announced his return on Instagram as well, with a simple caption: “One more year.”

 

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The 2023 season will mark Nix’s fifth and final year in college. He spent his first three years at Auburn before transferring to Oregon this past offseason. In his first year with the Ducks, Nix helped lead the program to a 9-3 record and a berth in the Holiday Bowl. Oregon was in the hunt for a spot in the Pac-12 title game right until the bitter end, and spent a large chunk of the season as a threat to make the College Football Playoff.

With Nix back in 2023, everything is on the table.

In Eugene and reuniting with Kenny Dillingham — Oregon’s offensive coordinator this season and Auburn’s during Nix’s freshman season in 2019 — Nix was at his very best, throwing for 3,388 yards and 27 touchdowns through the air while rushing for another 504 yards and 14 scores on the ground.

He finished second among all qualified FBS quarterbacks in completion percentage, connecting on 71.5% of his throws. He posted the best quarterback rating of his career, the best per-play efficiency of his career, the most touchdowns, and the fourth-best QBR of any player in the country. Simply put: he was one of the most valuable players in football.

Oregon’s season unraveled in the final three weeks after Nix injured his ankle in a 37-34 loss to Washington. Two weeks later, the Ducks blew a 31-10 second-half lead in a loss to Oregon State.

Nix and the rest of this Oregon offense should feel like they have a bit of unfinished business, but they’ll be led in 2023 by a new offensive coordinator. Lanning hired former UTSA assistant Will Stein to take over for Dillingham (now the head coach for Arizona State) as the Ducks’ OC.

“I like him, I like the stuff I’ve heard about him,” Nix said this week when asked about Stein. “I like what I’ve heard from him from an offensive standpoint, and I think he’s gonna do a really good job with what his background is. He’s very multiple. And he’s done a lot of different things. I think that’ll help the team.”

With Nix’s return, finding the next quarterback doesn’t become quite as pressing. And one of the top quarterbacks in the country for the 2024 class just recently rejoined the market. Chandler (Ariz.) 5-star quarterback Dylan Raiola de-committed from Ohio State on Saturday, re-opening a recruitment that Oregon was very much in the thick of before he picked the Buckeyes back in May.

According to multiple reports, Oregon is expected to once again be a factor in Raiola’s recruitment. He’s the No. 1 prospect in the 2024 class, and could step in right away to take the reins from Nix after next season.

The Ducks will focus on 2024 later, though. With bowl prep underway and the Early Signing Period fast approaching (it opens Wednesday), the focus is on the present.

And that still includes Bo Nix.