Stidham or Bust?

Auburn football is back. Tomorrow marks the earliest start to spring practice in memory. This one promises to be different. Chip Lindsey now has the keys to the offense and he badly needs a driver.

With Sean White on the mend, attention turns to Baylor transfer Jarrett Stidham. All eyes will be on whether this is a coronation or true quarterback competition. We’ve been hearing for what seems like years how incredible Woody Barrett is on the practice field.

Is he still in the mix? It’s funny how fans throw out the old for the new. What about White. It’s hard to argue that he’s not decent when healthy. Will Gus Malzahn and Lindsey give him another chance or are the risks just too high?

The narrative says the job is Stidham’s. Malzahn didn’t bring in a five-star quarterback to sit the bench. But what if? What if Lindsey has other ideas? Barrett should have a much better handle on the offense early on and that could win him points.

The big lights of Auburn are much brighter than Waco. How will a young quarterback with so many expectations handle the pressure. There was once a quarterback named Jeremy Johnson who never adjusted.

If Stidham is as advertised, will Lindsey go ahead and name him starter at the end of spring? There’s a lot of value in having your leader heading into summer workouts. It’s a luxury few of these players have ever known.

As usual, news is expected to be sparse during practice. Few staffs are better at coach speech than those at Auburn. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Nick Saban fooled everyone last year by making little mention of Jalen Hurts in the off-season.

It would be somewhat shocking if Stidham’s not the man, but if it’s a true competition anything is possible. Even if White is limited at best, he won’t be a factor in the spring. Are coaches willing to make a call with everyone not at 100 percent?

That’s the million dollar question heading into tomorrow.

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