Christmas has come early for former Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham.

Stidham was officially named the backup signal-caller to Tom Brady for the New England Patriots, the defending Super Bowl champions.

In other words, Stidham is an injury away from being the Patriots’ starting quarterback. New England drafted Stidham in the fourth round of last year’s NFL Draft.

“You get very excited for this (backup) role, obviously,” Stidham told The Boston Herald on Sept. 1. “But it’s back to getting back to work and working as hard as I ever have and trying to do everything I can to help this team and help Tom (Brady) out. That’s my job.”

I didn’t see this coming. I expected Stidham to sit as the third-team quarterback behind Brady and Brian Hoyer this season, then possibly challenge Hoyer for the backup role in 2020.

Stidham exceeded the Patriots’ expectations during a stellar preseason performance. His accuracy during training camp and the four preseason games impressed Patriots head coach Bill Belichek to move him past Hoyer. Stidham has a strong arm and can make all of the throws: short, medium and long-range.

“I thought both players played well in camp, and I like both players,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said on Sunday’s conference call. “But in the end, there are a number of considerations that you have to make, so we did what we thought was best for the team.”

Stidham thanked Hoyer, who signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts, for his advice during the preseason.

“I can’t speak highly enough about Brian,” Stidham said. “He really helped me out a ton, especially when I first got here and got going in OTAs and minicamp and all that stuff. He was here every day for me and helping me every way that he could. He’s a true veteran, a true pro. Whatever questions I had, he was always there to answer.”

While it’s still premature to anoint Stidham as Brady’s heir apparent, he has found a way to serve as the Patriots’ primary backup.