Auburn Football: Jarrett Stidham's unique rise to Heisman dark horse

Former Baylor Bears" quarterback Jarrett Stidham transferred to Auburn in December, and is already garnering Heisman hype just six months later.

Former Baylor commit and five star recruit Jarrett Stidham enters the 2017 season ending a roller coaster run in Waco, Texas. Stidham originally committed to Baylor to the surprise of many over presumed favorites Texas Tech and Texas.

Yet, there's no doubting the success that Art Briles' and Kendal Briles' system brought for quarterbacks. From Bryce Petty to Seth Russell, BU's quarterbacks always put up huge numbers. And Zach Smith seems like the next in line to take the reigns as the QB in the productive Bears' offense.

All during the 2015 season, Baylor fans expected Stidham to be the quarterback of the future in Waco. And it seemed like Stidham finally got his chance to rise to stardom when Russell went down for the season with a neck injury. He didn't get his first real start until BU traveled to face the Kansas State Wildcats on Nov. 5, 2015. Stidham threw for a career high 419 yards and four total touchdowns leading BU to a win over K-State.

The following week, Stidham did struggle against the eventual Big 12 Champion Oklahoma Sooners but the stats he posted were still respectable. He threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. Briles even left Stidham in for one punt where he booted the ball 41 yards.

In what would be Stidham's last start with BU, he faced the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater. He would eventually go down with a broken ankle and fibula. Before that, Stidham threw for 258 yards and one touchdown with no turnovers. The Bears would eventually defeat OK State 45-35 thanks to a strong start from Stidham.

Stidham announced he would transfer from BU before the 2016 season. That led to a full-on pursuit from more than 20 FBS programs to recruit Stidham to their respective colleges. He committed to play for the Auburn Tigers of the SEC on Dec. 10, 2016. Stidham's dual-threat ability gave Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn the weapon he needed to run a successful offense.

The Tigers have struggled to find a good quarterback to fit Malzahn's system since the departure of Nick Marshall after the 2014 season. Jeremy Johnson had quite the Heisman hype train entering the 2015 season, but he ended up disappointing the Auburn fan base over the last two years.

Moreover, Sean White has been better for the Tigers, especially last season, but he has struggled with injury and doesn't have the speed to get outside the pocket and run the option.

Stidham has the ability to get outside the pocket and make plays with a next level arm. He showed that he really can make all the throws in a high-paced offense with BU. He also showed that he can take care of the football, compiling 14 total touchdowns with only two interceptions in the 2015 campaign.

He'll join the likes of running backs Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway and wide receiver Nate Craig-Myers to hopefully spark some consistent success from the Auburn offense. Overall, Stidham had a very impressive show out in Auburn's Spring Game. He showed that his dual threat ability should allow him to not only thrive in the Auburn offense, but maybe help them win a few games they would not otherwise.

According to Athlon Sports, Stidham is one of their 25 quarterbacks on the rise for the 2017 college football season. However, Stidham has not only been mentioned among quarterbacks on the rise for 2017, his name has been thrown around in Heisman talks. According to SI.com, Stidham is one of five Heisman dark horse contenders after Spring Practice. Stidham has a great chance to be the best quarterback Auburn fans have seen at Jordan-Hare Stadium since Cam Newton led the Tigers to a National Championship in 2010.

Some of the most promising aspects for Stidham's possible success this fall include the quality of talent around him, an offensive scheme that fits his skills set, and a full year off to recover from injury. Auburn quarterbacks have been bit by the injury bug big time of late so having the entire 2016 season away from FBS competition should allow Stidham to be at full strength entering the 2017 campaign.