Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and Arizona State Sun Devils Football coach Kenny Dillingham are similar in many ways.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Both are early into their respective careers, they’ve been around, they’re young and have a way of doing things that many in their profession don’t understand, and they both led their teams to the playoffs when everyone wrote them off to start the season.
But what most don’t know is that they have a close relationship. Dillingham was Nix’s offensive coordinator at Auburn in 2019 and again at Oregon in 2022. And Nix sent Dillingham some love as both their seasons came to a close in the span of a couple weeks.
Auburn offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham talks with Auburn quarterback Bo Nix (10) during warm-ups at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback in Fayetteville, Ark., on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019.
Dillingham shared via Instagram stories that Nix sent him an autographed No. 10 Broncos jersey with a personal note to his former coach. The story was captioned “My Why! This Hits Different!” followed by four single-tear emojis.
The note on the jersey wrote:
“Coach, Thank you for everything! I would not be where I am today without you! Thanks for believing in me! I appreciate you more than you know!”
Broncos QB Bo Nix appears to have sent a jersey with a personal note on it to Kenny Dillingham.
Dillingham coached Nix both as the OC at Auburn in 2019 and Oregon in 2022.@SunDevilSource pic.twitter.com/NntCFG2Pdz
— Blake Niemann (@Blakes_Take2) January 19, 2025
Nix’s season ended on Sunday, Jan. 12, in a 31-7 loss in the first round of the playoffs against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. The rookie quarterback led the Broncos to a 10-8 record and led all rookies in passing yards (3,775), yards per game (222.1), and touchdowns (29) in his inaugural season.
Dillingham’s season ended on Jan. 1 in a thrilling 39-31 overtime loss to Texas in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. After being projected by his peers to finish as the worst team in the Big 12, Dillingham led his Sun Devils to a 11-3 (7-2) record, Big 12 Conference Championship and a first round bye in the College Football Playoffs.
Their underdog mentality was forged in the locker rooms of Jordan-Hare Stadium, refined in Eugene, Oregon, and put to practice in Denver and Tempe. Their relationship means more than just a signed jersey. It was symbiotic. And now they are both the futures of their respective organizations.
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Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenosports, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
