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Stidham ready to work during 'crucial' offseason

AUBURN | The end of spring practice two weeks ago didn’t end Jarrett Stidham’s push to master Auburn’s offense and improve his playing ability.

It started the day after the final practice on April 10.

“I plan to sit down and go back through all the film throughout the spring from Day 1 to Day 15, and see what I did good, what I did bad, what I need to get better on. I think that's the first step to really improving as a player,” said Stidham after an MVP performance in the A-Day game.

“Throughout the summer, which is going to be crucial for us, just getting in there and doing some lonely work by myself and throwing with those receivers and making sure I know the protections of the offensive line, make sure we're on the same page. I think once fall camp comes around, we'll run smooth.”

Becoming more of a leader is one of Stidham's goals for the offseason.
Becoming more of a leader is one of Stidham's goals for the offseason. (Robin Conn/AuburnSports.com)

The first-year Auburn quarterback is coming off a strong spring game in which he completed 16-of-20 passes for 267 yards, all in the first half. He looked comfortable in the role of the Tigers' starting quarterback just a few months after enrolling.

"He’s up at that office a lot on his own. I mean, he’s got that gym rat mentality," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "So he’s real tough on himself about that kind of stuff. I think he’s done a good job and the fact that he — what he said last Saturday probably makes sense. He’s done a good job with the communication. There’s a lot of moving parts, you know? Learning a new offense, learning a new system, communication, getting used to a quarterback coach."

Stidham and his teammates have already transitioned to spring workouts and conditioning, which will last through the summer. In July, they’ll begin captain’s practices, which Stidham will help lead.

“I think it's just hard work every day, doing extra, going up, watching extra film, doing extra in the weight room. Just being a good leader,” Stidham said. “There's so many intangibles that go into being the guy. I'm just going to take it day to day and just get better.”

While Stidham had a strong spring, he didn’t really have any competition for the first-team job. That will change during preseason practice when junior Sean White is fully cleared to go head-to-head with Stidham during the first couple of weeks for the starting position.

White, who has started 16 career games, was limited this spring has he returned from a broken arm.

Stidham said he saw White improve throughout spring as he got increased reps during position and 7-on-7 drills. White didn’t participate in team drills.

“I'm looking forward to competing against him once fall camp gets here and dueling it out between us two and really just pushing each other to get better,” Stidham said.

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