Auburn Football: 5 bold predictions for the 2017 season

1. Jarrett Stidham brings much-needed offensive consistency, for now

Jarrett Stidham may be the best quarterback Auburn has had on campus since Cam Newton. Stidham, a 6-foot-3, 4-star recruit from Stephenville, Texas, originally committed to play at Baylor. Instead he would transfer after his freshman season in the wake of the school’s 2016 sexual abuse scandal.

After spending a year away from football, Stidham committed to Auburn for the 2017 season to join head coach Gus Malzahn quarterback room.  In Stidham, Malzahn is hedging his bets on a raw, but incredibly talented quarterback.

Only time will tell just how effective Auburn’s offense will be under Jarrett Stidham, but the future looks incredibly bright for the Tigers. And seemingly everyone has taken notice. Kirk Herbstreit declared Stidham a perfect fit for coach Malzahn’s offensive scheme, and could very well be in contention for the 2018 Heisman Trophy.

Stidham’s addition to a veteran offense that’s also includes star running backs Kamryn Pettway, who lead the entire SEC in rushing yards last season, and Kerryon Johnson could give Auburn just enough firepower to do some serious damage in the SEC West.

Next: Florida Football: 5 bold predictions for the 2017 season

However, it may be short-lived. Much like Newton and Marshall before him, Stidham may not stick round Auburn for long. After this season Jarrett will be three years removed from high school, and could theoretically leave school early for the greener pastures of the NFL. If he does deliver the season that fans and pundits alike a predicting from in 2017, it will be incredibly hard for Stidham to come back to school when his draft stock is at its peak. But that’s a problem for 2018.