Ole Miss QB Matt Corral is one of the most hyped quarterbacks in the country entering this season, and widely viewed as arguably the best quarterback in the SEC.

The one blemish from his huge 2020 season is the number of interceptions he threw, 14, including 11 in two games against Arkansas and LSU. During an interview from the Manning Passing Academy where he served as a counselor, Corral said he needs to focus on defensive coverage.

“That’s just understanding drop-eight (coverage). That’s the gist of it,” Corral said, per OM Spirit. “There was decision making in the drop eight. That’s what was so foreign to me. I didn’t know anything about it prior to those games. After that game (six interceptions against Arkansas), you started seeing everybody doing it. It’s just something that I got better at.”

Corral also finds himself in a growing leadership role on the team, and he explained how he’s adjusted to that this offseason.

Corral last season passed for 3,337 yards and 29 touchdowns, and lead the Rebels to a victory over Indiana in the Outback Bowl. Corral is also in the early mentions as a Heisman Trophy candidate

“This off-season was a real focus on my leadership,” he said. “Not only mine, but as a team…not having just one single person telling the same people over and over telling you to do the right things. It’s more of the younger cats now. They’re finally starting to grow up and they’re becoming leaders themselves. I think that plays a big part because a lot of these kids…you don’t get a freshman that wants to come in and call the shots and tell people what to do. But it’s like, if you’re in the wrong, you’re in the wrong, and we have an understanding of that as a unit and as a team. Just really being on the same page and having that transparency with each other. It goes much more than football. We’ve got real life problems and that’s the transparency I’m talking about. We’re building that bond of camaraderie that’s unbreakable.”