When outside observers saw that Shea Patterson had left Ole Miss via transfer this offseason, many probably assumed that was a sign that the ship was sinking in Oxford. Those more in the know understand that had Patterson returned to Ole Miss as a junior, he’s job very well could have been to hold a clipboard while Jordan Ta’amu took the field on Saturdays.

After Patterson was lost for the season due to an injury suffered against LSU, Ta’amu stepped in and proved he was a better fit for Phil Longo’s offense. The offense didn’t miss a beat and the junior put up huge numbers in his first appearance at the Division 1 level. After scoring only three points against LSU with Patterson in the game, Ta’amu came off the bench to lead Ole Miss to 21 points in just over a half of play in Baton Rouge.

Despite playing in only five and a half games, Ta’amu threw for 1,682 yards, 11 touchdowns to only four interceptions and rushed for 165 and another four scores. Keep in mind, those numbers came after facing five SEC defenses in that span.

While A.J. Brown wasn’t asked about Patterson’s departure during his Thursday media availability, he did speak glowingly of Ta’amu. According to the best player on the Ole Miss roster, the Rebels knew they had something special in Ta’amu immediately when he was forced into action against LSU after Patterson went down.

“We knew he had the arm talent but we really wanted to see him in the game, see how he would adjust to everything, the atmosphere, everything,” Brown said on Thursday in a video posted to YouTube by Parrish Alford. “We wanted to see him after he gets hit hard, see how he’d respond to it because we feed off his energy.”

“That LSU game, he came in and moved us down the field real fast. I was like, ‘(Is) That Jordan? Okay, okay, we got a baller on our hands.’ He’s just kept going from there.”

Brown also touched on how Ta’amu has impressed his teammates at Ole Miss this offseason. Understanding that he heads into the season as the starter in Oxford, the senior quarterback has made it a mission to improve his leadership skills — something Brown says has been accomplished.

“His leadership skills. He was kind of a soft-spoken guy, he wanted to lead by example, not say anything,” Brown said. “Now he’s being more vocal, telling people things to do… He handles (his leadership skills) perfectly now.”

If you are still sleeping on Ta’amu, you missed out on one of the most impressive breakout players in the league last season. While Ole Miss lost in Ta’amu’s first start, in a 38-37 thriller at home against Arkansas, the Rebels went on to win three of the final four games to close out the regular season.

Here’s what you missed out on if you still don’t know about Ta’amu: