Auburn hires Derrick Nix away from Ole Miss as offensive coordinator
FILE - Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze is shown before an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Auburn, Ala. Derrick Nix is headed to Auburn as offensive coordinator, according to his current employer. Auburn has not confirmed the hiring of Nix. Tigers coach Hugh Freeze fired coordinator Philip Montgomery, a former Tulsa head coach, after their first season. (AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)
Longtime Mississippi assistant coach Derrick Nix is headed to Auburn as offensive coordinator and running backs coach.
Auburn announced the hiring of Nix, who was the Rebels’ associate head coach, along with quarterbacks coach Kent Austin on Wednesday. Tigers coach Hugh Freeze fired coordinator Philip Montgomery, a former Tulsa head coach, after their first season.
“I’m really excited to reunite with Derrick here at Auburn,” said Freeze, a former Ole Miss coach when Nix was on staff. “He is an outstanding recruiter and coach who has nearly two decades of experience in the Southeastern Conference. Derrick knows the level of excellence required to be successful in this league and I know he’s looking forward to the opportunity to help develop a winning program at Auburn.”
Austin was Freeze’s offensive coordinator at Liberty from 2019-22 and at Ole Miss from 2008-09. He has also had stints as a head coach at Cornell and in the Canadian Football League. He led the Hamilton Tiger Cats to back-to-back Grey Cup finals in 2013 and 2014.
He spent the last year as a special assistant to the head coach/quality control.
Mississippi essentially announced Nix’s new job on Wednesday with a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, thanking Nix for 16 years of service, with a statement from coach Lane Kiffin.
“Acknowledging the opportunity to become a first-time playcaller with full-time playcalling duties as Offensive Coordinator at Auburn University,” said the post in part, which was signed by Kiffin.
Nix’s Ole Miss contract stipulated that he would owe a buyout if he left for a job other than a head coaching or coordinator position with primary play-calling duties.
The wording could potentially matter because Freeze said in an interview with ESPN recently that he would take over play-calling duties after firing Montgomery. Freeze called his own plays at previous stops, including Ole Miss, Arkansas State and Liberty.
Nix took over as receivers coach for Ole Miss in 2020 after previously coaching running backs. The former Southern Miss running back coached receivers including Elijah Moore, Dontario Drummond and Tre Harris.
He was promoted to associate head coach before the 2023 season.
“I’m very excited for this opportunity at Auburn and to get back on staff with Coach Freeze,” Nix said. “Having worked with him before, I have a strong understanding of what he wants offensively as well as culture wise.
“Fundamentally, we want to be a fast, physical and fearless offensive scoring unit.”
The Tigers ranked 121st of 130 FBS offenses in passing, averaging just 162.2 yards per game. The Tigers averaged 351 yards and 26 points a game. Auburn totaled just 300 yards in a 31-13 loss to Maryland in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30.
“I have full trust in Kent and Derrick as coaches and men to help develop our offensive unit to the standard we expect,” Freeze said.
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