New England Patriots second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham may be under a lot of pressure in 2020. After all, he may be quarterback tasked with replacing Tom Brady. His former college coach believes that he will thrive under pressure.
In an interview with the Zack Gelb Show on CBS, Malzahn talked about how Stidham would be able to be successful in New England’s system and what he can bring to the table.
Stidham’s best season at Auburn came in 2017. He threw for 3,058 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. His best game that season came on Nov. 2017 against Texas A&M. In that contest, he threw for 268 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. He was extremely efficient that season, and led Auburn to a 10-3 record.
“Jarrett is very steady,” said Malzahn on the Zach Gelb Show. “The thing about it is with us he had the ability to play his best games when the stakes were the highest. In 2017 we played Georgia and they were No. 1 and he played his best game. Two weeks later we played Alabama and they were No. 1 he played his best game, led us to the SEC championship. He’s a very solid person, kind of a gym rat. He understands the game of football, really from a coach’s standpoint. The system that they run fits him really well and I expect him to be very successful.”
Stidham was drafted in the fourth round with the 133rd overall pick in 2019. With the NFL Draft coming this week, it will be interesting to see if the Patriots select a quarterback with a high-round pick. New England has several areas that need to be filled as the organization enters a new era of football. Beginning the draft with the 23rd overall pick, there are many directions they can go in.
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