Jarrett Stidham

Early life

Stidham was born on August 8, 1996, in Corbin, Kentucky. His family moved to Stephenville, Texas when he was in elementary school. As a senior at Stephenville High School, Stidham completed 183 of 260 passes for 2,934 yards with 35 touchdowns while also rushing for 969 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was rated by Rivals.com as a four-star recruit and was ranked as the sixth-best dual-threat quarterback in his class. Stidham originally committed to Texas Tech University to play college football, but later changed to Baylor University.

Baylor

Stidham entered his true freshman year at Baylor in 2015 as the backup quarterback to Seth Russell. Stidham appeared in the first seven games, completing 24 of 28 passes for 331 yards and six touchdowns. After Russell suffered a neck injury against Iowa State and later a season-ending ankle injury against Oklahoma, Stidham took over as the starter. He started his first career game against the Kansas State Wildcats. Stidham finished the game completing 23 of 33 passes for 419 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for a touchdown. In his second career start against the Oklahoma Sooners, Stidham injured his back in the first quarter, but was able to remain in the game. He finished the 44–34 loss completing 16 of 27 for 257 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.

The following week, despite being listed as questionable to play in the week leading up to the game, Stidham made his third career start against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. He injured his hand and ankle in the first half of the game and did not return to the field for the second half. On November 25, 2015, Baylor head coach Art Briles announced that Stidham's ankle injury was a chipped bone in the back of his ankle and Stidham would be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season. It was reported that Stidham might be able to return for Baylor's bowl game, but on December 19, Briles announced Stidham would miss the 2015 Russell Athletic Bowl.

In the wake of a sexual abuse scandal at the school, which led to the firing and resignation of much of the coaching staff, and general dissatisfaction backing up Russell, on July 7, 2016, Stidham announced he would be transferring out of Baylor.

Auburn

After spending a semester at McLennan Community College, where he did not play football, Stidham announced that he would be transferring to Auburn University. Stidham was named as Auburn's starting quarterback for the 2017 season. He led the Tigers to an SEC West Division Championship after victories over top-ranked teams, the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Stidham and the Tigers would later lose to the UCF Knights in the 2018 Peach Bowl. On December 4, 2018, Stidham announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the 2019 NFL draft. On December 28, Stidham led Auburn to a 63–14 victory over Purdue in the 2018 Music City Bowl, winning the bowl game's MVP award.

Personal life

Stidham met his wife, Kennedy Brown, at Baylor and they got married in 2019. They have three children. Brown is the daughter of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment CEO Tad Brown. Stidham is the cousin of former Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson.