Meet Baylor's New Playoff Hope, Quarterback Jarrett Stidham

Back in February 2015, as a part of Baylor's national signing day, head coach Art Briles described Jarrett Stidham with a few adjectives.

Dependable. Accurate. Intelligent. Competitive. Great words to follow any quarterback, let alone an incoming freshman.

Eight months later, that dependable, accurate, intelligent, competitive quarterback Briles recruited will take over starting duties for the No. 2-ranked Bears. As Seth Russell prepares to sit out with a season-ending neck injury, Baylor's offense is now in the hands of a 19-year-old true freshman.

A 19-year-old true freshman who the people around him say was built for this very moment.

"Everybody's talking about it here," said Ryan Cox, assistant director of athletic communications at Tarleton State University, located in Stidham's hometown of Stephenville, Texas. "We were at a local diner, and Baylor was playing on TV, but somebody wanted to watch something different. You don't watch anything else when Baylor's playing, especially when Jarrett's playing.

"Everybody here is rooting for him. We know what he can do. There's not a better situation in the country where a top-five team can have a backup come in and won't lose a step."

On Nov. 5, let the games—and the run for a national championship with a young upstart calling plays—officially begin.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

'He's ready'

Russell's injury hit Baylor hard, as he was the leader of an offense that has scored at least 45 points in all seven games and 60 or more points five times this season. Russell threw for 2,104 yards and 29 touchdowns and also rushed for 402 yards and six scores this season. Baylor's offense produced mind-boggling numbers under Russell, averaging 686.1 yards and 61.1 points per game.

With Russell now sidelined, the torch has been passed slightly prematurely. The good news for Baylor: Stidham's stats during mop-up time have been phenomenal. The freshman, who has appeared in all seven games, has completed 24 of 28 passes (86 percent) for 331 yards and six touchdowns.

Dependable. Accurate. Intelligent. Competitive.

"The thing about it, he's a capable player," Briles said in a Monday conference call. "He's ready."

Stidham's high school resume tells a lot. He was the nation's No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the 2015 class behind Texas A&M's Kyler Murray. He accounted for 3,903 total yards (2,934 passing) and 50 touchdowns (35 passing) in a shortened senior season and for 3,434 total yards (2,613 passing) and 44 touchdowns (30 passing) as a junior at Stephenville.

As a sophomore, Stidham backed up current Texas State quarterback Tyler Jones and spent most of his time at wide receiver. He caught 11 touchdowns and helped Stephenville win a state championship under Joseph Gillespie, who now coaches linebackers at Tulsa.

Playing receiver early in his high school varsity career may have been one of the best things for Stidham. It's his ability to learn the receiver position that may serve as a huge advantage to connect with Baylor's star-studded receiver group, consisting of Corey Coleman, KD Cannon and Jay Lee.

There's chemistry with Stidham and his receivers. He showed what he could do during the summer of 2014, when he—then a Texas Tech commit—competed in the Elite 11 finals and not only dazzled those in attendance, but also pushed for Elite 11 MVP honors.

"Jarrett was a huge favorite of the staff last year," said Brian Stumpf, vice president of football events for Student Sports and one of the leaders of the Elite 11. "He has tremendous makeup in terms of composure, disposition, competitive nature and a feel for the position.

"Coming out of the [Elite 11], you looked at Jarrett as a kid who, if he continues to mature and fill out physically and avoids major injury or non-football issues, he has a chance to be as good as anyone in that class."

That chance now comes in a matter of days, on the road against Kansas State.

Competitive, yet collected

One year ago, Stidham had successful surgery on his throwing hand. He made a full recovery in time to join Baylor for spring workouts after graduating high school in December 2014.

Nothing seems to stop Stidham when he's on a mission to achieve a goal. That was the attitude he built with his teammates at Stephenville, according to 2017 running back Kaegun Williams, the nation's No. 5 all-purpose back who played two seasons with Stidham before he transferred to Cedar Hill (Texas) High School.

"He was a really fierce competitor," Williams said. "He tried to do whatever it took to get the win. The year he hurt his hand, you could tell he tried to play through the pain. He never wore it on his face, but I think he started to realize if he kept on playing, he could hurt the team more. He didn't want to do that."

His competitive nature is one of the reasons why he attracted more than 20 offers. Cox, who covered Stidham's games as a freelance writer before accepting the Tarleton State position, said it'll be the "three C's" that'll keep him in the limelight at Baylor.

"He's calm, cool and collected," Cox said. "He never gets too high or low; he's always on an even level. He knows what he's supposed to do on the field, and he goes out and executes."

It helps having Art Briles and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles in Stidham's corner. All three have ties to the city of Stephenville. Art Briles was the head coach at Stephenville High School from 1988-99, where he won four state championships. Kendal Briles was the starting quarterback for Stephenville's 1999 state-champion team.

"I think with Art Briles being a Stephenville guy, they had connections already," Cox said. "Art's going to help him along the way. It's a big situation for [Stidham], but with all of the support around him, he'll be just fine."

Stidham's early graduation proved to be a blessing in disguise, as he learned the system during spring workouts. Stidham's performance against Kansas showed that if pushed into the starting spot, he'd be ready. He completed nine of 10 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns in a 66-7 win. His first pass as a college quarterback came in the season opener against SMU, and it went for a 42-yard touchdown to Chris Platt.

In short, Stidham may have some bumps early, but he's ready for the challenge overall. And there's a ton of confidence in the freshman among the coaching staff.

"He's beyond years, maturity wise," Art Briles said. "He doesn't seem like a freshman, act like a freshman or perform like a freshman. He's a guy who's instinctively and athletically ready to work.

"Any time you can step on the field in game situations, it certainly gives you some comfort. He's a guy we felt all along would be in line to be a productive player for us. If it's time to help the team right now for him, then that's what he's ready to do, and that's what our team will rally around."

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Developing cohesiveness

Williams describes Stidham as a "very strong leader," someone who won't have a problem garnering respect from the upperclassmen.

"He's a leader vocally, and he shows it through his game," Williams said. "He took me under his wing and helped me to get established into the offense. He made our group successful, and I think he can contribute to the team by doing the same for Baylor."

Having the bye week to prepare for Kansas State will be huge for Stidham. Art Briles said the extra time will allow Stidham to get extra reps with center Kyle Fuller, and the line will have a chance to adjust to his play-calling cadence.

In addition, Stidham will have more opportunity to throw with the first-team offense. He's been used to throwing with the second team. Developing cohesiveness with a new group of receivers, running backs and offensive linemen could mean the difference in Baylor remaining a national title contender or a team fighting to stay in the Top 25 poll.

"It makes all the difference in the world, especially with the offensive line we have and the dynamic skill people involved," Art Briles said. "It certainly takes a lot of pressure off that position."

Stumpf doesn't expect a major dropoff with Stidham taking over starting duties. He felt that Stidham had a chance to finish his career statistically as "an all-time NCAA great" if he was put into a starting role early.

"He's underrated athletically," Stumpf said, "and having played wide receiver as a sophomore, he is a kid who you can call a football player, not just a quarterback."

If Stidham can be that go-to playmaker for Baylor that he was at Stephenville, the Bears will stay in contention for a national championship. It's his time to either sink or swim.

And many aren't expecting him to sink.

"You're never concerned with a player like Jarrett," Cox said. "He's got the full package from ability to mindset to leadership. He makes players better around him.

"This is his time. The people in Stephenville know he'll be ready."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles