Ranking Auburn’s 5 best quarterbacks in 21st century: Jarrett Stidham won’t catch Cam Newton, but how high can he climb?

There’s nothing I love more than rating guys who are still playing next to ones that have completed their time. When I say “love” I really mean “dislike.” It’s not fair. It’s difficult to compare eras, teams, opponents, etc. But it’s August and everyone is going through training camp, including us.

The subject today is where to rank Jarrett Stidham as compared to Auburn’s best quarterbacks of the century. Stidham came into Auburn last season with crazy expectations. People were talking Heisman potential based on some quality mop-up duty at Baylor. The belief was mixing Stidham’s arm with Gus Malzahn’s mind would result in lighting up the scoreboard.

That didn’t always happen, but there’s plenty of reason to believe that Stidham only scratched the surface of what he’s capable of doing. And in about five months we can revisit this piece and see if he did. Until then here are the top five Auburn quarterbacks since 2000.

1. Cam Newton (2010)

He only played one season. He only needed one season. Newton won the Heisman Trophy, SEC, and BCS Championship. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and he’s a former NFL MVP. Newton was polarizing, controversial and high maintenance during his time at Auburn but he also passed for 2,854 yards, rushed for 1,473 yards and accounted for 51 touchdowns in his single season with the Tigers, so the positives far outweighed the negative. And there’s this:

There’s no argument for anyone other than Newton. Heck he’s easily the best SEC quarterback of the decade (a story that will be written in about 18 months I’m sure).

2. Jason Campbell (2001-2004)

The No. 1 spot is pretty much undisputed, but after that things get a little more interesting. Campbell is a perfect example of patience and development. He split time with Daniel Cobb as a freshman and sophomore, posting serviceable numbers but nothing special. Campbell took over the quarterback spot full time as junior, but the Tigers’ offense was focused on the run game with Cadillac Williams, Ronnie Brown and Brandon Jacobs all fighting for touches. Campbell, however, came of age in his senior year. He completed nearly 70 percent of his passes and threw for 2,700 yards with 20 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions. Campbell’s number didn’t blow you away, but he was a perfect complement to Auburn’s dynamic two-headed monster at running back. And when the Tigers needed him to be great in the 2004 SEC Championship Game, he was.

Campbell threw for 374 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Volunteers to keep Auburn’s perfect season alive. The Tigers didn’t get to play for the BCS championship but finished 14-0 and we were cheated out of what should have been a great title game between Auburn and USC. Campbell was the No. 25 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, one of four Tigers to be drafted in the first round that year. Brown went No. 2 overall to Miami; Williams No. 5 to Tampa Bay.

3. Nick Marshall (2013-14)

This is where it gets tough. Again, I can only judge Stidham on what he has done so far, whereas Newton, Campbell and Marshall have all done their time. So why does Marshall get the nod:

• He was a better runner and thus a better overall fit for Malzahn’s offense.
• He won an SEC Championship (2013).
• He played for a national championship and would have won if not for Jameis Winston and some untimely breakdowns in the secondary.

Marshall wasn’t a prolific passer or prototypical quarterback, but he got the job done and posted huge numbers in the process. His story is well known. Marshall went to Georgia as a cornerback in 2011, got booted for a violation of team rules, went to junior college in Kansas in 2012 and found his niche as a dual-threat quarterback. Malzahn and Auburn came calling and it was a good fit. Marshall threw for 4,508 yards, rushed for 1,866 and accounted for 57 total touchdowns in two seasons. He also had a flair for the dramatic:

Wow that was an awful pass … but it was 4th-and-16.

Marshall moved back to cornerback before the NFL Draft and toiled around the league for a couple of seasons after signing with Jacksonville as an undrafted free agent. Marshall is now playing in the CFL.

4. Jarrett Stidham (2017-??)

The book on Stidham is far from being written. The expectations for the Baylor transfer were high in his first season with the Tigers because he came from a great passing offense under Kendall and Art Briles at Baylor and had considerably better upside than Sean White and Jeremy Johnson.

But Stidham and Malzahn didn’t always seem to be on the same page. And at times the offensive line didn’t perform. Stidham had a tough game against LSU going 9-for-26 for 165 yards as Auburn blew a 20-point lead in the battle of the Tigers. But from there things seemed to click as Malzahn, who was on the hot seat, and Stidham, feeling the ire from fans who expected more, began to lean on each other. The result was a 5-game winning streak — including over then-No. 1 Georgia and then-No. 1 Alabama in the Iron Bowl to clinch an SEC West title. Auburn, however, lost its final two games – a 28-7 stomping to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and a thrilling 34-27 battle with UCF in the Peach Bowl.

Stidham had nice numbers in his first season as a starter, throwing for 3,158 and 18 touchdowns with just 6 interceptions. He became just the second Tiger QB to top 3,000 yards passing and fell 120 yards shy of breaking Dameyune Craig’s record (3,277).

If Stidham throws for 3,000 yards again in 2018, he’ll move into the top 5 on Auburn’s career list, replacing Craig, who is fifth with 6,026 yards. Stan White (8,016) and Campbell (7,299) are the only Tigers to top 7,000 yards.

Stidham is not going to win games with his legs, so Malzahn is going to have to adjust some more elements of the offense to get the most out of Stidham.

So can Stidham move past Marshall and Campbell? Sure, but he’ll need another good season and a gaudy win total. A second win against Alabama and Saban would put Stidham in rare company, but winning the SEC would probably push him past Marshall. Getting in the College Football Playoff might get him past Campbell.

Newton is still untouchable.

5. Brandon Cox (2004-2007)

Someone has to be fifth on this list. Chris Todd had a better season in 2009, but Cox had the better career throwing for 6,959 yards and 42 touchdowns. Both totals are third in program history.

He was consistent, three times topping 2,000 yards but never 2,400 in a season.

He also went 3-0 against Alabama and 2-0 against Florida, handing the Gators their only loss in 2006 and denying them revenge in 2007.

Corey Long

Corey Long is a freelance writer for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow Corey on Twitter @CoreyLong.