Auburn Football: 5 reasons the Tigers will contend in 2019

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TUSCALOOSA, AL – NOVEMBER 24: Jarrett Stidham #8 of the Auburn Tigers draws a facemask penalty as he is sacked by Quinnen Williams #92 and Mack Wilson #30 of the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

2. Change at quarterback

Jarrett Stidham was a very good college quarterback at Baylor, and has the tools to carve out at least a backup role in the NFL. At Auburn, however, things never clicked.

The most popular theory as to the lack of success, and the correct one, is that Stidham didn’t match up with Malzahn’s offensive system. This system features a lot of movement, play fakes, and motion, and Stidham was never meant to be a quarterback who was on the move so consistently.

That is more of a mark against Malzahn than Stidham. It’s ultimately up to the coach to produce the most he can out of his roster, and Malzahn has been too stubborn about his offensive scheme at times.

Stidham is now in New England, though, and Auburn must find the next man to run the offense. There are two contenders, and both are freshman.

Rarely is going from an NFL draft pick to a true freshman a good thing, but it is in this case. Whether it’s Joey Gatewood or Bo Nix, either one will be a better fit for this offense than Stidham was. No longer will the Auburn offense be trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

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