Auburn football: Jarrett Stidham looks ready to break school passing records

Jarrett Stidham

Last season, Stidham had the second-most passing yards in a single season for an Auburn quarterback when he threw for 3,158 yards. He completed 246-of-370 passes (66.5 percent) with 18 touchdown passes and six interceptions.

And those numbers could have been better if you consider:

• He threw for a combined 264 yards in the first two games against Georgia Southern and Clemson.
• He only threw the ball at least 30 times in three games (37 times in a win against Mercer and 32 times in a loss to Georgia and 43 in the bowl loss to UCF).
• He threw for 300 or more yards twice (Mercer, UCF).
• His three lowest passing yardage games each came in losses.

So what indications are we getting this fall that Stidham will be better in 2018?

1. He had offseason surgery on his right shoulder. He went through some 7-on-7 drills at the spring game and is 100 percent healthy.
2. The reviews in fall practice are good. “With Jarrett throwing the ball and putting it in the place that he puts it,” Auburn LB Deshaun Davis said, according to the Opelika-Auburn News, “the sky is the limit for the offense.”
3. He’s more focused after living a season as a starting QB in the SEC. That means not paying attention to all the noise around him. “It’s not good for myself or for anybody, in my opinion. It’s just, again, people’s outside opinions, and I like to stay true to myself and that kind of thing,” Stidham told AL.com.
4. Auburn returns Ryan Davis, who caught a school-record 84 passes last season. Also back: deep-threat Darius Slayton, emerging big target Nate Craig-Myers along with at least half a dozen other potential game-breaking players. That doesn’t even account for Eli Stove and Will Hastings, two of Auburn’s most reliable and fastest receivers, who are limited this fall while recovering from ACL injuries. They could see the field this fall unless several freshmen seize the opportunity and lock in playing time.

But what could be the biggest indicator that Stidham will throw for more yards and guide this Auburn offense to more points in 2018 is what Malzahn told reporters at SEC Media Days in July.

With the Auburn running game working itself out in the early portion of the season, look for the Tigers to put the ball in Stidham’s hands early to make plays. Those plays likely will come in the form of more pass attempts and completions.

With a stable of big-time receivers to throw the ball to, expect Stidham to finish the 2018 season as the single-season passing leader for Auburn.

FlyWarEagle’s prediction: Stidham throws for 3,500 yards, 24 touchdown passes.