Ole Miss OC Phil Longo discusses Rebels’ plans for freshman QB Matt Corral
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If Phil Longo gets his way, Ole Miss freshman quarterback Matt Corral will be seeing the field in 2018.
That’s not to say the true freshman is expected to start this season in Oxford; senior Jordan Ta’amu currently has a firm grasp on the starting quarterback duties exiting the spring, but the Rebels would be wise to get Corral some live reps before he’s called upon to make major contributions on the field for Ole Miss.
That appears to be the line of thinking in Oxford with spring football in the rearview mirror. Here is what the Ole Miss offensive coordinator had to say regarding Corral’s role with the offense heading into the 2018 season.
“I love working with Matt,” Longo said, according to David Johnson of OMSpirit/247Sports. “At this point, there is not a plan to redshirt Matt Corral.”
Based on that wording, there’s little doubt Corral will see the field next season for Ole Miss. However, with the NCAA considering making amendments to the current redshirt rules in football, there’s a chance Corral does see the field for four games and is able to keep his redshirt heading into 2019. The NCAA is considering a rule in which players can participate in up to four games and keep their redshirts.
It’s unclear if that’s something that would alter the thought process in Oxford right now, but it’s certainly something to consider if the NCAA does vote to pass the new redshirt rule. The rule will be voted on in June and has the overwhelming support from college football coaches according to Todd Barry, executive director of the American Football Coaches Foundation. If passed, the rule would take effect for the 2018 season.
Judging by Corral’s highlight reel, he may have too much talent to sit next season:
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
