Dan Lanning didn’t need much time to spot something worth following up on when he watched Bo Nix on a bye week.
The Oregon coach caught Nix’s late-game surge in the Denver Broncos’ 30-26 win over the Los Angeles Rams, then reached out the next day after seeing “a few things” he wanted to talk through. On the Jim Rowe Show, Lanning said the conversation came naturally, the way it did when Nix was still in Eugene.
“Because it’s bye week, I actually got to watch some of Bo’s game,” Lanning said on the Jim Rowe Show. “There’s another guy on the other sideline, Terrance Ferguson, competing with the Rams.
But I talked to Bo the next day. I saw some things in the game.
I said, ‘Hey, man, you mind if we catch up?’ And we had a great conversation.”
Lanning didn’t say what specifically stood out, but the call itself said plenty. The relationship between coach and quarterback has carried over from Oregon to the NFL, and Lanning still sounds like a guy who’s tracking Nix’s progress closely.
That connection was part of the daily rhythm for two seasons at Oregon. The setting has changed, but the bond hasn’t. Under Lanning, the Ducks have produced 31 total NFL Draft picks in four seasons, and the Eugene-to-NFL pipeline keeps showing up in moments like this one.
Lanning also had a simple explanation for why Nix keeps handling pressure the way he does. In his mind, it shows up most clearly when things get heated in practice.
"Bo's always been a competitor," Lanning said. "I think for Bo, (when) it gets the most serious, those competitive juices go to a different level. I remember moments where I'd rip him in practice, and the next play, he throws a touchdown.
"He thrives in tough moments. And that's one thing I always want to credit him.
But obviously, he's become an outstanding player. He was an outstanding player for us.
He's just taking it to another level now with his time there at the Broncos," Lanning said.
That edge is part of what has made Nix such a force in Denver, and it’s not lost on people around the league. Ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, Fred Warner laid out the challenge Nix presents without sugarcoating it.
“Everything, honestly," Warner said. “He’s just a playmaker.
His ability to extend out of the pocket, use his legs, I think he’s faster than people think. His ability to throw the deep ball and make plays in that way.
I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
“It’s just no flinch. I think that’s one of the great attributes of a quarterback: The ability to continue to play regardless of the situation.
The poise that he plays with as a young player, too, I think that’s uncommon. So, it’s going to be a huge, huge challenge for us.”
Nix’s influence is still being felt in Eugene too. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has taken a cue from both Lanning and Nix, and one of the clearest examples is his decision to stay off social media.
"Not being on social media, I think that's the biggest thing I've been doing," Moore said. "That's something that coach Lanning brought up to me. Something I learned from Bo Nix... he wasn't on social media through fall camp, and in our generation, we're addicted to it."
That kind of advice fits neatly with the way Nix has remained part of Oregon’s identity even after moving on to the NFL. Moore is trying to follow the same formula: tune out the noise and keep his attention on teammates and the Ducks.
Moore is also dealing with an injury update of his own. He is still moving through concussion protocol, and Lanning has not set a timetable for his return.
The Oregon starter was taken off the field on a stretcher and transported to a hospital after a targeting hit against USC. Backup Dylan Raiola entered the game and helped lead the Ducks to victory.
Nix, meanwhile, spent two seasons at Oregon from 2022 to 2023 and left with a stack of program records. He finished as the Ducks’ all-time leader in completion percentage at 74.9, set single-season program marks for completions with 364, passing yards with 4,508 and passing touchdowns with 45 in 2023, and established the NCAA single-season completion percentage record that year at 77.45 percent on 364-of-470 passing.
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