Meet Syracuse OC Jeff Nixon: Coach to NFL superstars, somebody who’s snappy ‘elevated’ the Orange

Quickly after Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord threw for 354 yards and 4 touchdowns in a season-opening hold over Ohio, becoming the first Orange QB with those statistics since 2016, head coach Fran Brown joked he owed McCord’s used head coach, Ohio Mutter’s Ryan Day, a bottle of champagne.

The quip, made by one friend to but every other, went viral. But that is no longer the proper thing Brown mentioned about his offense within the days after the 38-22 hold. He also spent a broad range of time heaping praise on the man who called the plays for Syracuse, offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon.

“Coach Nixon is a major,” Brown urged newshounds this week. “He is been a major for an awfully lengthy time. I’ve worked with him areas where he’s led a correct form offense. … He does a correct form job. He is a big chief. Upright husband. Upright father. He is a stylish dude.”

The 49-300 and sixty five days-used Nixon is a lengthy-time NFL used. He is coached Reggie Bush, Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley, amongst others. Nixon is also a confirmed play-caller. He served as Baylor‘s co-offensive coordinator from 2017 to 2019 as the Bears jumped from 1-11 in Year 1 to 11-3 and a Enormous 12 championship sport appearance in Year 3; Nixon, Brown and Orange defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson were on the same Baylor group in 2017.

Nixon’s coached a little little bit of all the pieces in his occupation. He is primarily worked with working backs however also frolicked with tight ends, broad receivers and special teams.

The play-calling ranks are most often dominated by aged quarterback coaches. Nixon’s worked along with his fragment of enormous ones — Andy Reid, Mike Sherman, Chip Kelly and Day — however views his diverse positional background as an serve. Running backs and tight ends, particularly, touch every element of an offense. It is knowledgeable the type Nixon thinks about his legit-spread machine.

“I mediate it makes the total distinction,” Nixon mentioned this week in an interview with CBS Sports actions. “I have been round a broad range of correct form guys who’ve professional quarterbacks, and it is influenced me. I’ve realized a broad range of passing sport. Having the flexibility to educate working backs and tight ends it is wanted to understand all the pieces in an offensive machine because you interrogate (them) to attain all the pieces as a long way as the blockading plot, working routes, toddle ideas and protections.

“We speed a little little bit of all the pieces. It is a machine constructed on being in a position to comprehend serve of what the protection gives you from week to week. … I mediate now we have adequate in our arsenal when we are going to have the flexibility to adapt to no matter the protection we’re taking half in and have the flexibility to head out and assault them.”

That’s something Nixon’s guests have credited him on all over his occupation. Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule, Nixon’s high college teammate, had Nixon on his Carolina Panthers instructing group in 2021. 

“He goes to play to the man’s strengths,” Rhule mentioned. “He is disciplined. He is no longer emotional. That’s one of many issues I adore simplest about Jeff, he’s even keeled. Doesn’t derive too high or too low.”

Nixon can have stayed with the Contemporary York Giants following the 2023 season. The NFL is a scuttle situation for lots of college coaches as the demands on college coaches are greatly elevated resulting from the recruiting calendar and the transfer portal. But Nixon mentioned he had total have confidence in Brown and Robinson resulting from their time collectively at Baylor. It became once a easy desire when Brown called Nixon’s number. 

Plus, it equipped but every other for Nixon to educate his son.

Will Nixon helped Washington reach the national championship sport closing season as this system’s backup working abet. He, adore many Huskies, opted to enter the transfer portal following Kalen DeBoer’s departure for Alabama.

Deciding on his next college proved easy.

“It is actually thrilling,” Jeff Nixon mentioned. “He actually desired to play for me. It has been a pleasure. He is done a pleasing job and adds a used presence to our working abet room. It is upright nice to have him.”

Nixon is also very overjoyed to have but every other participant he’s identified for an awfully lengthy time on the roster: McCord.

When Nixon worked for the Eagles from 2007 to 2010, Will performed for a formative years soccer crew in Contemporary Jersey. His teammate at the present? McCord. Nixon kept in contact with the McCord family for years following his Philadelphia tenure. He even recruited McCord a little bit at Baylor. When McCord within the ruin signed with Ohio Mutter and Nixon headed abet to the NFL, Nixon spoke to the McCord family about a occasions a 300 and sixty five days upright to put in and provide advice when requested for it.

Nixon couldn’t have requested for the next Year 1 triggerman as Syracuse beat out Nebraska for McCord’s services.

“It became once upright supreme timing, supreme space.” Nixon mentioned. “He all of a sudden came to thoughts as somebody who became once the No. 1 man we are making an strive to derive into this system. So a long way, he’s done a large job. He is a major. It’s good to to perchance well per chance presumably’t screech adequate correct form issues about him.”

Nixon, with some serve from McCord, has jumpstarted the Orange offense going into a matchup with No. 23 Georgia Tech (12 p.m. ET, ACC Community) on Saturday. Syracuse averaged 5.28 yards per play — 98th nationally — closing season. That became once as a lot as 6.86 yards per play in a Week 1 hold over Ohio with, as Brown mentioned postgame, lots of room for enchancment.

Returning offensive avid gamers, adore star working abet LeQuint Allen, have raved about Nixon’s impact on the offense. 

“I would no longer lie, Allen mentioned within the spring. “I’ve realized lots speedily from Coach Nixon. He is elevated me both as a individual and a participant.”

It is section of a determine-in that Nixon’s experienced all over his occupation, largely on memoir of his relationship along with his avid gamers.

“He is an exact right man,” Carolina Panthers working abet Chubba Hubbard mentioned in 2021. “With soccer that you must to have large coaches, tidy, however it with out a doubt’s laborious to have a coach who actually cares for you genuinely. I actually mediate he’s that.”