True Freshman Bo Nix Named Auburn Starting QB over Joey Gatewood

True freshman Bo Nix has topped Joey Gatewood for Auburn's starting quarterback job to open the regular season. 

247Sports' Brandon Marcello first reported Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn informed his team Tuesday that Nix will be the starter on Aug. 31 against Oregon. 

Malzahn told reporters Sunday he was nearing a decision about the position but wasn't prepared to announce it: 

“I think we're closer in that position, I can't tell you right now what day, but we're going to go back now fall camps over, and really all positions, and just evaluate each position. Take a good, you know, 24 hours to see everything, you go back, because a lot of times from a coaching standpoint, you remember the last practice in great detail, but the things before [not as much], so it gives us a good chance to really put the pieces to the puzzle not just quarterback but even some other positions as far as depth is concerned."

Per Marcello, Nix will be the Tigers' first true freshman Week 1 starting quarterback since Travis Tidwell in 1946. 

Josh Vitale of the Montgomery Advertiser reported Aug. 12 that Nix "appeared to be the most accurate passer" in a group that included Gatewood, Cord Sandberg and Wil Appleton in practice drills. 

Nix was one of the biggest additions for Auburn in the 2019 recruiting class. The Alabama native is a 5-star prospect who is the top-ranked dual-threat quarterback and No. 33 overall recruit, per 247Sports. 

The Tigers will open this season ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press Top 25. They are coming off an 8-5 record last year and will attempt to win the SEC for the first time since 2013.