Decision Day Coming Soon for Jarrett Stidham, CFB's Most Notable Free Agent

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — The sounds of college football on Saturdays pierce Jarrett Stidham's ears effortlessly. A self-proclaimed football junkie, Stidham can't get enough of the rumblings of plays being called, fans cheering and booing and, perhaps most melodious to him, touchdowns being scored.

It's all euphoric to him. Nostalgic. Invigorating.

And almost haunting. Almost.

For four months, Stidham—once thought to be the franchise quarterback for one of the nation's most prolific offenses—has been watching college football like the majority of fans: by way of a TV set. He made the decision to transfer from Baylor in July following a devastating sexual assault scandal that ultimately led to the firing of head coach Art Briles.

Since then, Stidham has remained in Waco taking online classes at nearby McLennan Community College. He chose not to burn a year of eligibility by playing FCS or junior college ball.

There are days where he feels his return to college football seems like an eternity.

"I'm good…but I'm bored. Oh my God, bored," said Stidham, who makes regular visits to his home in Stephenville, Texas, to keep himself busy. "I knew I'd be bored, but I didn't know I'd be this bored."

The transition of being a Power Five quarterback to simply being a student balancing a college course load of 16 hours—all online—has been an adjustment unlike any other for Stidham, an Elite 11 quarterback in the summer of 2014 and a 5-star prospect and the nation's No. 3 quarterback in the 2015 class, according to Scout.

But in Stidham's apartment, there's good news. A decision is coming soon, which means his time to return to college football is near.

"I'm so ready to get back," he said. "You just don't know how ready I am to play again."

Life after Baylor

Stidham threw for 1,265 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Bears before suffering a broken ankle last November against Oklahoma State. Prior to the injury, he completed nearly 69 percent of his passes (75-of-109) and showed the future was bright for Baylor's high-octane offense.

Then, May 26 happened.

Following an investigative report by Pepper Hamilton, LLP, which reflected "a fundamental failure by Baylor to implement Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013," Briles was "suspended with intent to terminate" and was later fired.

The investigation found instances of Baylor athletics leaders responding inappropriately to reported sexual assault incidents involving multiple Baylor football players. Briles, Baylor's head coach since Nov. 28, 2007, and someone popular within the locker room walls, was let go.

The firing still puts Stidham's stomach in knots. But it's also something he's been dealing with successfully. Briles' firing is a topic Stidham doesn't speak about publicly, but the call he received that morning was one he identified as "a nightmare."

"I woke up that morning, and I looked at my phone. I had probably seven or eight text messages and missed calls from KB," said Stidham, referring to offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kendal Briles. "I was like, 'What in the world is going on?' I mean, I was completely caught off guard.

"When I got off the phone with KB, I was numb. If you ask any dude who's played for the man, you'll get the same answer about the kind of guy he is every single time. To see that happen, it was sickening."

Stidham said his decision to leave was a way to get a fresh start. There isn't a guarantee that interim coach Jim Grobe or any of his staff members will be at Baylor next season, and although Stidham stays in touch with many associated with Baylor, he's looking for stability.

Stidham said he stays in touch with Briles regularly, as both are looking for new opportunities to start over. The conversations often aren't about football, but when the sport comes up, Stidham said Briles stresses one particular point.

"What we talk about is not getting ready, but staying ready," he said.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Lee Bristow, a former Baylor tight end and nickelback now finishing up his master's degree in sports management, met Stidham through football. They became close last fall and were roommates by the beginning of the ensuing summer.

As Stidham's roommate, Bristow has seen what football—or lack thereof—has done.

"He talks about it a lot…probably too much, but I get it," Bristow said. "I try to take his focus away from it and just lift his spirits any way I can. All of his thoughts are on football, though."

One look at Stidham shows he's physically ready to return. He's now a shade under 6'4" and weighs 212 pounds. He's been working out four days a week at D1 Sports Training, a facility in Waco, Texas, where he participates in weight training and drills to improve speed, agility and quickness.

Leo Burks, a strength coach at the facility, has been working with Stidham since the end of July. Burks remembers Stidham in high school; while Stidham was leading Stephenville, Burks was finishing his studies at Tarleton State University in the city and also managed a local Wingstop that Stidham frequented.

"When I saw him [at D1 Sports], I was like, 'I know this dude. He looks so familiar,'" Burks said. "He was a little bigger than he was in high school and had facial hair. Then it finally hit me. It's crazy how everything works out."

Burks said Stidham's attention to detail is what makes him stand out most during training sessions. It's easy to see the leadership skills he possessed as a leader at Baylor. Playing as a backup to Seth Russell, Stidham appeared in 10 games and managed to get three starts when Russell suffered a season-ending injury.

Staying busy, staying ready

Orlin Wagner/Associated Press

It's been nearly a year since Stidham has thrown an in-game pass, but he still possesses velocity and accuracy on his throws. When he isn't throwing, he's showing the speed that frustrated defenders.

How is he keeping his skills sharp? He's found a way not only to get live reps, but also to make those around him better.

Stidham asked coaches at Midway High School in Waco to handle scout-team duties. He met with Midway head coach Jeff Hulme, and the idea became reality.

"I don't think [Hulme] wasn't expecting me to ask that," Stidham said. "He thought I would ask to use the weight room or their indoor [facility]. I thought it would be beneficial for both of us.

"I thought it would help them out, because they're not going to go up against someone on Friday night who has played Division I football. It's kind of a win-win situation, and he was on board."

So Stidham, easily the best quarterback the Midway defense had seen this year, worked with the team three days a week, lining up with a junior varsity offensive line competing against varsity defenders. He called audibles, barked checks and, most importantly, connected with receivers.

"If I didn't have that," he said, "the only time I'd be seeing 11 men on the field is on Madden."

Midway's season ended Friday, but Stidham made an impact on Midway's players, including Jack Hicks, a 2018 free safety on the team. Hicks, the younger brother of SMU quarterback Ben Hicks, remembers Stidham randomly showing up at practice.

Hicks didn't know Stidham would have the kind of impact he did.

"At first, when we saw him, everybody was like, 'Hey, that's Jarrett Stidham. What's he doing watching a bunch of high schoolers?'" Hicks said. "It was kind of surprising and shocking at first, but what he's done in our practices, it's ultimately helping us.

"You just don't see a varsity quarterback out there doing what he does."

And while Stidham's presence helps the defense, it's also big for Tanner Mordecai, a 2018 quarterback with offers from Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Houston and others. Mordecai received advice from a quarterback who's already been in his shoes when it comes to game preparation, offseason work and recruiting.

Mordecai is a product of Air 14 Quarterback Academy, which also produced Oklahoma's Kyler Murray—a fellow Elite 11 alum alongside Stidham. Mordecai said he's getting as much of Stidham's tutelage as possible while he's still around.

"He rarely throws a ball that isn't a perfect spiral. And he rarely misses," Mordecai said of Stidham. "We probably have the best scout team in the nation for high school football. It's definitely a plus for our defense, for sure."

To Bristow, Stidham's scout-team work isn't shocking. He's watched his roommate struggle without football, and he knows how consumed he is with the sport. The workouts have become an avenue to channel Stidham's frustrations since leaving Baylor.

"There's not a second that goes by where he's not watching football, let alone thinking about it," Bristow said of Stidham. "It's eating him up not being out there, but he knows he's in a situation where his time is coming."

A decision is near

Credit: Damon Sayles/Bleacher Report

A likable guy, Stidham has never let the spotlight of being a Football Bowl Subdivision quarterback change him. Stephenville head coach Greg Winder, who was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach when Stidham was in high school, described Stidham as the consummate teammate and person overall.

"I've known him since he was in the seventh grade," Winder said. "He's a student of the game and a student in the classroom. There's nothing negative to say about him."

Those qualities, along with his skills on the field, make him highly coveted as he prepares to play college football again. He's still uncertain where he'll end up, but he has made it a priority to keep his recruiting process relatively private.

Stidham didn't name schools specifically, but he mentioned that he's heard from "schools in the SEC, Pac-12 and ACC." Schools such as Auburn, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, LSU, USC and Oregon have been thrown around on social media as potential landing spots. He reportedly made a return visit to Auburn in early September after first being present watching a practice in August, according to Matthew Stevens of the Montgomery Advertiser.

Don't expect Stidham, however, to treat this recruiting process like the one from his high school days, when he entertained more than 20 offers.

"I haven't really talked to very many people. I've had my eye set on a few [schools], and that's pretty much has been it," he said. "It's been pretty low-key, which has been nice. I haven't tweeted out much about anything, and I've dealt with very few reporters. I'm not trying to really set it off like that."

Winder added: "There's no doubt that someone will be lucky to have him. They're going to find out real quick about his knowledge of the game."

Stidham said he's still weighing pros and cons for potential destinations, but he's hoping to make a final decision soon, potentially by the end of the month or early December. The decision, he said, most likely will be announced via Twitter.

His decision will set the tone for a school looking for a franchise quarterback. It also will end a chapter Stidham would like to forget as a competitor.

Burks called Stidham "a CEO…and every team needs a good CEO."

"Someone's going to get a guy who will hold himself accountable, hold others accountable and demand hard work from the other guys," he said of Stidham. "He's had a lot of discipline instilled in him, and he'll take that and apply it wherever he goes."

To which Stidham replied: "I just need it to get here already."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player profiles are courtesy of Scout. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles