Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham announced on Twitter that he will forgo his senior season and enter the 2019 NFL Draft. The Associated Press reports that Stidham intends to play in the Tigers' Music City Bowl matchup with Purdue.
It's interesting timing for the redshirt junior, who began his college career at Baylor in 2015. Though Stidham started the 2018 season with higher draft aspirations, the past three months have been frustrating not only for him but for Auburn as well. Stidham's numbers were down from a season ago as the Tigers' offense stalled. After throwing for more than 3,100 yards and racking up 22 total touchdowns in 2017, Stidham threw for just 2,421 yards this season. His 127.96 passer rating was 11th in the SEC.
Then again, Auburn's offensive struggles cannot solely be placed on Stidham. The Tigers ranked 72nd in points per game, 83rd in yards per play and 100th in explosiveness on offense, according to S&P+. That led to coach Gus Malzahn making a change at offensive coordinator with Chip Lindsey reportedly taking another job at Kansas.
Stidham's career at Baylor started with a lot of promise. A former four-star prospect out of Stephenville, Texas, Stidham was a backup to Seth Russell in 2015 but saw plenty of meaningful snaps as Russell went down with a season-ending neck injury. However, Stidham also suffered a season-ending injury of his own in the form of a broken ankle. He transferred from the program and attended a community college for a year before transferring to Auburn in 2017.
According to CBS Sports draft position rankings, Stidham is the fourth-best quarterback available.
