Gus Malzahn thankful to have Jarrett Stidham back: You have to have a great QB to win a championship
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Auburn may have signed the nation’s No. 12 recruiting class last February but the Tigers biggest recruiting win of the offseason was getting Jarrett Stidham to return for another season on The Plains.
That’s something Gus Malzahn is very aware of heading into 2018 and recently spoke of the advantage Stidham’s presence on the roster will give Auburn on the field next season after he completed over 66 percent of his passes for 3,158 yards and 18 touchdowns.
“Very excited with Jarrett returning. I think it’s only the second time I’ve been at Auburn we’ve had our starter back,” Malzahn said during his recent appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show from the SEC Spring Meetings. “He played extremely well last year, in our league. Being experienced, he was trying to get used to a new team, a new coach, a new offense, it just feels different (this year). This is his team and he feels very comfortable. We are excited about his leadership and leading us into next season.”
The Auburn coach also suggested fans will see an improved Stidham in his second season on campus, as the quarterback continues to progress and develop this offseason in the hopes of having his best season to date in 2018.
“The good thing about him is he’s never satisfied. He’s very motivated and wanting to get better,” Malzahn added. “He’s identified those things and he’s really worked on (them). The thing about this league, you have to have a great quarterback to have a chance to win a championship. The fact that we have him coming back, and like I said, he was successful, he learned on the run against the best defenses in college football — that’s what’s exciting.”
With the Tigers breaking in four new starters on the offensive line and having to replace SEC Offensive Player of the Year in former Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson, the offense will likely have to rely on Stidham to get the job done against one of the nation’s best returning defenses in the season opener against Washington. If Stidham has made the progress Malzahn says he has, Week 1 could be the perfect national showcase for Auburn’s quarterback to begin a Heisman campaign — something that’s only been won three times in the school’s history.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
