Bo Nix got a warm ovation during an appearance at an Auburn basketball game at Neville Arena earlier this month, and he’s anticipating more pleasant interactions with Tigers fans during the upcoming Reese’s Senior Bowl week.

Nix, the former Auburn quarterback who played his final two seasons at Oregon, is one of seven quarterbacks who will participate in the 2024 Senior Bowl. The annual college football all-star game and NFL draft showcase is set for Feb. 3 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile.

“It feels good to be back in the South and getting ready for the game we’ve got coming up,” Nix said. “It’s just always fun to be around other guys and train with them, get to hear their stories and see how this draft process goes.

“I expect great competition, a lot of learning and a lot of growth just within one week. I’m excited to be around other people, other coaches, different players from around the country that I’ve been able to watch from afar.”

Nix will play for the National team in the Senior Bowl, alongside fellow quarterbacks Michael Penix of Washington and Sam Hartman of Notre Dame. There are four quarterbacks on the American team: South Alabama’s Carter Bradley, Tennessee’s Joe Milton, South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler and Tulane’s Michael Pratt.

The Senior Bowl could add an eighth quarterback or go with just seven, executive director Jim Nagy said Monday. Either way, Nix is certainly going to be among the game’s most intriguing players.

“When we start this process at the beginning of every fall, there’s certain players that you want to have in the game, you feel like you need to have in the game, to have a great game — Bo Nix and Michael Penix were two of those guys,” Nagy said. “So we’re excited to get both of them. Bo, obviously, being from the state and having the Auburn connection, it’s a really cool homecoming for him. And the fact that he’s doing all his pre-draft training down here with David Morris at QB Country, it’s awesome that he’s right here in our backyard.”

It’s been a circuitous route for Nix to get back to his home state after winning two state championships at Pinson Valley High School with his father, former Auburn quarterback Patrick Nix, as head coach. He was Mr. Football as a senior in 2019, and signed with Auburn as one of the most celebrated recruits in the program’s modern history.

Nix’s college career got off to an excellent start, but things unraveled under former head coach Bryan Harsin in 2021. He transferred to Oregon and revived his career in the Pac-12, finishing this past season with 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns passes with just three interceptions, ending up third in the Heisman Trophy balloting behind winner Jayden Daniels of LSU and runner-up Penix.

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Nix and Penix faced off twice in 2023 — once in the regular season and once in the Pac-12 championship game — with Penix’s Huskies winning both times by three points. The two also spent plenty of time together on the awards circuit during the month of December.

“I love Michael,” Nix said. “I’m so proud of him. I know he’s been through a lot on his journey and it was very rewarding to see him battle through all of that and have an awesome season. He put together a spectacular run and I think he proved a lot to many people that he can play the game as good as anybody. So I’m excited for him, excited to spend another week with him.”

Oregon finished its season with a 45-6 victory over Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl, capping a 12-2 season that ended with a No. 6 national ranking. Shortly after that game ended, he traveled to Mobile where he’s been training alongside Bradley and top draft prospect Drake Maye of North Carolina (who is not playing in the Senior Bowl) with quarterback guru David Morris of QB Country.

One thing Nix said he never considered was opting out of Oregon’s bowl game, as so many top draft prospects do. He passed for 363 yards and five touchdowns against Liberty.

“I just love playing football,” Nix said. “I love just going out there and competing. I love being around guys like Carter and learning from other quarterbacks and guys from around the country that are now getting to compete in another game in one week.

“I just really enjoy the game. I love playing it. I love learning different things about it. Any time I get to go out there and try to throw a touchdown, I would do it.”

Nix is one of four Oregon players in this year’s Senior Bowl, along with center Jackson Powers-Johnson, defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus and cornerback Khyree Jackson (who played at Alabama in 2022). Also in the game are four players from Auburn’s 2023 team: defensive lineman Marcus Harris, cornerbacks DJ James (who ironically begin his career at Oregon) and Nehemiah Pritchett and safety Jaylin Simpson.

As a quarterback who once played for one of the state of Alabama’s SEC powers, Nix will almost certainly be among the more popular players with fans when Senior Bowl practices begin on Jan. 30. Likewise, Alabama-turned-Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts — now with the Philadelphia Eagles — was the unquestioned star of Senior Bowl 2020.

“I hope I’m being embraced by both fanbases,” Nix said. “It’s an honor to have been able to put on both uniforms. We had a really good season this year at Oregon and so that’s really what kind of set all this up for me to go about it and to be put in this position.”

The 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl kicks off at noon Central on Feb. 3 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile. NFL Network will broadcast the game live.