AUBURN, Ala. – This time last year, everybody knew Jarrett Stidham's name. He was the incoming transfer who was supposed to come in, win the quarterback job and lead Auburn to a championship. The guy was a celebrity before ever stepping foot on campus.
But nobody really knew who Stidham was at that point. He was an unknown. And he was still getting to know his coaches, his teammates, the offense, everything.
There's a different feel this year. Stidham thrived in Year 1 at Auburn, winning over the fans and leading the Tigers to the SEC title game and a spot in a New Year's Six bowl for the second straight season. But this year, as he prepares for the first game against Washington, he's more comfortable. He knows the team. He knows the offense. He knows the town.
"This is home away from home," Stidham said. "It's a great place with a lot of great people, and whenever you get to go out and play football with guys like Ryan Davis and Darius Slayton and Chandler Cox and Marquel Harrell, Prince Tega [Wanogho] and everybody on defense, it's fun. They make it so much more enjoyable every single day. And you just get more comfortable being around such great people on a daily basis.
"So I don't see how somebody could come in here and not have a good time playing football here at Auburn."
The coaches, too, have noticed a new comfort level with their star quarterback.
"This time last year, he was in a totally different situation," Auburn offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said. "He was brand new. We didn't name him a starter (until August). But I think now he's put himself in position to be that leader. And Coach [Malzahn] always talks about influencers, guys that can influence our team, and we definitely want Jarrett to be one of those guys."
With last year's success, the expectations for Stidham have risen. The Texas native made watch lists for numerous national awards. He was named All-SEC by the coaches and the media. And there's some who have even put his name in the early Heisman Trophy conversation.
Stidham wouldn't know, though. He says he doesn't read anything college-football related. Instead, he's made it a point to focus on building relationships with his teammates this offseason. He didn't have the opportunity to do that as much last year. He was still the new guy. Now he's one of the veterans, and the coaches are looking to him to lead the team this year.
"That's the main thing for me, just pouring into my teammates and my relationships with them," Stidham said. "And just making sure they know that I have their back, and that they have mine. I think that's where great teams are formed, where you have guys on a team that really love each other and really want to just play for each other."
"We all respect Jarrett," added senior senior wide receiver Ryan Davis. "The work he puts in, the time he puts in, all the hours and stuff like that. You just see him getting more comfortable within the offense, just within the system and everything. You can see him take off from that perspective. Coach [Malzahn] is also giving him more leeway. Having a bigger plate for him actually helps him grow his game. You can see him take that next leap."
All eyes will once again be on Stidham this Saturday when Auburn takes the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Though unlike last year, people know what to expect. They've seen what the 6-foot-3, 215-pound quarterback can do physically. They know what he's capable of.
But this is a different Jarrett Stidham. This is a different Auburn team.
"I'm extremely excited," he said. "I know our guys are extremely excited. Team chemistry is as good as it's been since I've been here, so that means everybody's ready to roll."
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @greg_ostendorf