Gus Malzahn coached Jarrett Stidham at Auburn, and he feels Stidham is prepared to take over as the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots.
Malzahn said Stidham has the work ethic and mindset necessary to succeed, also saying he felt the Pats were an ideal landing spot for Stidham (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk):
“It definitely helped him to learn under the best and see what that looks like, but he’s the kind of young man, too, this is what he’s been waiting on. I’ll tell you, the moment won’t be too big for him. He’ll be up to the challenge, that’s what I expect,” Malzahn told ESPN.com. “Even when he got here, before he played his first game, you could just kind of tell he was a mature young man. Like a gym rat, always at the complex trying to learn, study film. When he got drafted by the Patriots [in 2019], I thought it was a perfect spot for him system-wise — spreading the field. He’s so good with protections, changing protections, and scheme-wise everything that goes with it, and just the flexibility the scheme gives him. I think that really applies to his strength.”
The Patriots have yet to sign a veteran signal-caller, and they did not select a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft. It seems they will hand the reins to Stidham as Tom Brady's predecessor.
New England selected Stidham in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft after a pair of seasons as the starter at Auburn. He has limited NFL action–just four pass attempts last season–but the Patriots are content in letting him compete.
Stidham has garnered plenty of praise from teammates this offseason, and it seems Malzahn is offering similar encouragement with respect to his readiness to play at the highest level.
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