When the ball left Jarrett Stidham's hand, Cris Dishman thought to himself, "Interception."

Most college quarterbacks don't have anywhere near enough arm strength to make that throw, a deep out route thrown from the right hash mark all the way to the left sideline with tight coverage.

That's why this pass, made during a practice not long after Stidham arrived at Baylor in 2015, was so impressive and memorable for Dishman. A perfectly-placed laser that wide receiver K.D. Cannon caught in stride along the sideline.

"I was like, 'OK, no other quarterback can make that throw,'" said Dishman, a former All-Pro defensive back who was Baylor's safeties coach. "I had to go back and watch it on film. And when I saw it on film, it was like, 'Whoa. This kid's going to be good.'"

To Dishman, Auburn's new sophomore quarterback is a "taller Drew Brees." The Baylor transfer has the potential to be that good, Dishman said. Not just because of the arm strength.

"We used to sit in our defensive meeting room at Baylor and be like 'OK, we've got one right here. We've got something special at quarterback,'" Dishman said. "You knew he was going to a special-type player, so him being successful at Auburn doesn't surprise me at all."

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Stidham and Trenton Kirklin, his close friend and former private quarterback coach, both love Tom Brady.

Both have spent significant time researching the New England Patriots star quarterback, looking to learn everything from Brady's training regimen to what he looks for when analyzing game film.

Inspired by Brady, Stidham does a lot of "deep training," working on his mechanics and footwork even when he's alone at home. For example, Kirklin had Stidham work on how he steps when he throws one night -- stepping, getting back to his base and repeating for 15 minutes.

"Jarrett's always asking if there's anything that Brady does that he's not doing now that he could do to make him better," Kirklin said. "He wants to be at that level, so he and I are constantly looking at stuff and trying to figure out if there's something more that we can do."

The best quarterbacks -- players such as Peyton Manning, Brady and Brees -- are usually known for being very driven, ultra-competitive film junkies with close attention to detail.

That's how Kirklin describes Stidham. It's why Kirklin expects the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Stidham to be so successful at Auburn and beyond.

"The first thing that I notice is his work ethic," Tigers offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said. "He's at the office, the facility all the time studying film. He's obviously got physical tools, arm talent and all that. All of that stuff is great, but I think his work ethic is what puts him over the top."

The competitiveness showed during a workout with Kirklin.

The last throw of the session was a 20-yard out route off of a three-step drop. When Stidham walked out to the far hash mark instead of the middle of the field, Kirklin asked, "What are you doing?"

"I want to throw it from the hash," Stidham said. "It's too easy from the middle of the field. I've got to make it harder on myself."

"That's an NFL throw," Kirklin responded.

"Yeah," Stidham said, "I'm going to make it."

While Stidham successfully made the throw, he kept going until placing the ball exactly where he wanted.

"Every single time we work together, if it ain't perfect, we're going to do that same exact throw and footwork maybe 20 or 30 times until it's perfect," Kirklin said. "For me, that's what sums it up. So many other kids would just want to move on, or they don't understand how to self-analyze or self-correct and just listen to what the coach says. He does both. He takes in what the coach says, and then he also isn't going to move on until it's perfect."

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As a true freshman, Stidham faced a high-pressure situation in his first career start, thrust into the starting role when starter Seth Russell went down with a season-ending neck injury.

Baylor was 7-0, ranked No. 6 nationally and looking to stay in contention for the College Football Playoff when it went on the road for a night game against Kansas State. Stidham was terrific, finishing 23 of 33 for 419 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 31-24 victory.

"Everybody thought he was going to be nervous, but he wasn't," Dishman said. "Before the game, he was joking with people and showing no nerves at all and acting like it was just a normal day, and then he just went out there and blew it up and looked like he had been in the system for years. That's the confidence he has in ability. He has so much confidence in his ability, and that's what you want in a quarterback and a leader."

After only a few practices, after seeing throws like that deep out, Dishman said Baylor coaches knew that Stidham was an exceptional talent.

He's quickly made an impression at Auburn as well, throwing for 267 yards in one half during the Tigers' spring game, further establishing himself as the leader in the competition for Auburn's starting quarterback job.

"He's one of those rare breed guys that comes along once in a while," Dishman said. "He's a guy that, if he stays healthy and keeps progressing, he'll be part of the NFL draft one day."