The sound emanating from the Plains on Monday was that of inevitability finally becoming reality.

Jarrett Stidham is officially Auburn's starting quarterback.

The formal announcement came two days after Auburn's second scrimmage and tenth overall practice of fall camp, after which Gus Malzahn was "not ready to say" there was separation at the quarterback position, but the move has been in the works ever since the former Baylor signal caller visited the Tigers on the first day of fall camp last year.

"Obviously this is a big day for me. I'm very blessed to be in this position, so I'm fired up. It's been a good day," Stidham said Monday night. "I can't really remember exactly when (I envisioned being Auburn's starter). When I decided to transfer from Baylor, obviously Auburn was probably at the top of my list. But once I got into the whole recruiting process, I probably started to have that feeling that maybe Auburn's the spot for me."

Stidham's arm strength and accuracy made him the heavy favorite to win the job from the moment he signed with Auburn last December and he has routinely showcased those abilities since.

Had two-year starter Sean White, who is expected to serve as Auburn's backup this fall, not been limited during spring practice after suffering a broken forearm during the Sugar Bowl, Stidham would likely have earned the starting job by the end of spring practice as teammates hailed his leadership and impact across the team.

"(Stidham's) performed very well the last two weeks," Malzahn said. "He performed very well in the spring too but like I said, we wanted to give Sean White a real chance to compete. Sean competed very well and I think Sean is improved from last year. After two scrimmages, after a lot of different 11-on-11 situations, 7-on-7 situations, just got with (offensive coordinator) Chip (Lindsey) and we just felt like the time was right and he's earned the job."

Malzahn said Stidham "had a different step" on the field during Monday's practice, Auburn's eleventh of fall camp.

"Being the leader of a team, you've got to have that high energy, because they feed off what the quarterback's doing at all times," Stidham said. "I never can get too high or too low. Always need to kind of stay balanced and always keep the same energy and positivity throughout the team."

Auburn desperately needed to upgrade its quarterback play, which Malzahn has repeatedly referred to as the team's "Achilles heel" over the past two seasons. The Tigers were last in the SEC and 112th nationally in passing offense last season and had the least passing yards for the program since the disastrous 2012 season and least for a Malzahn team since 2006, his first year at the collegiate level.

Stidham was the offensive MVP on A-Day for a terrific aerial performance that featured four passes over 30 yards and a final stat line of 16 for 20 for 267 yards with five carries for 17 yards and a touchdown all in the first half. Passes of 46 and 50 yards in the spring game and several deep shots during Auburn's two fall scrimmages highlighted his superior throwing ability to White and why the Tigers ultimately changed direction after finishing 12th in the SEC and tied for 97th nationally with just two passes of 50-plus yards last season.

During his 10 games including three starts as a true freshman at Baylor in 2015, Stidham went 75 of 109 for 1,265 yards with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. He was one of the most accurate and productive quarterbacks in the country, particularly on deep throws, according to analysis by Pro Football Focus, which calculated he averaged 21.3 yards per attempt on deep throws, most among all college quarterbacks that season.

"He's got an extremely strong arm," Malzahn said. "He's got a lot of skills that could be a very good quarterback."

Stidham will make his starting debut for Auburn, on Sept. 2 against Georgia Southern, 652 days since he last played in a college football game, the date of which, Nov. 21, 2015, he readily recalls.

"It's been a long time," Stidham said. "Last fall was pretty tough to sit out. I didn't know exactly where I was going to school. But as soon as I decided to come here, I put Sept. 2 on the calendar. It's been on my mind ever since.

"When game day gets here, I'm going to be really excited. I don't know if I'll be anxious or nervous or what it will be, but it'll be exciting, to say the least. I know I'm ready to get back out there finally."