I couldn’t make A-Day. I haven’t made A-Day for years, because the vagaries of geography and child care have been many. Some of those years it hurts–borderline physically–to watch on TV. Most years the previous season’s starters have their few series, the usual Gus play-calls are aired out after a couple months in the closet, whatever nuggets of knowledge are gleaned are of minimal value (if they’re trustworthy at all), and despite the ache of not being on the Plains, I can make my peace with it.
2017’s A-Day fell in the painful category. I saw the same Jarrett Stidham we all saw: the sort of potentially game-breaking pocket-bound artillery weapon we haven’t enjoyed at Auburn since at least Jason Campbell’s senior season, and arguably much longer than that.