Bama’s Jones, Auburn’s Nix playing well entering Iron Bowl

Alabama quarterback Mac Jones was a skinny three-star recruit who had to wait in a daunting line for a starting shot. Bo Nix arrived at Auburn as a prized recruit and has started every game since.

They have taken different career paths but both enter Saturday’s Iron Bowl playing well.

Jones has emerged as a Heisman Trophy contender and a worthy successor to Tua Tagovailoa, leading the top-ranked Crimson Tide into the game against Nix and the No. 22 Tigers. His days as a largely unheralded recruit destined to labor behind eventual NFL quarterbacks Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts seem a distant memory.

“You know, people always give you a rating or whatever in high school, but once you step on campus that doesn’t really matter,” Jones said.

That goes both ways. Nix arrived on campus with more acclaim as a fivestar recruit and the son of a former Auburn quarterback, Patrick Nix. He also didn’t get the time to ease into Southeastern Conference football and has had to learn on the job, with all the growing pains that entails.

Nix did help direct Auburn to a 48-45 Iron Bowl win in his first start in the bitter rivalry. Of course that was at home, not at BryantDenny Stadium even if it’s before a crowd shrunken by pandemic rules.

“I think it gives me a lot of confidence, knowing that I’m going into a tough place,” said Nix, who won a high school state title at the stadium. “Obviously we have a ton of guys coming back, a lot of the same skill guys that we had last year, and then obviously a lot of guys on the defensive side of the ball that do the same thing.

“So I feel comfortable. A lot of the guys that made big plays last year, they’re back.”

Jones made some big plays in last year’s Iron Bowl, too, but couldn’t overcome having two interceptions returned for touchdowns. He passed for 335 yards and four touchdowns after replacing an injured Tagovailoa for the last few games.