Entering the 2016 season, there really isn’t a debate as to which quarterback hails as the best in the SEC – it’s Ole Miss senior Chad Kelly by a landslide. Considering he was entrenched in a three-way battle at this point last season during Ole Miss’ 2015 fall camp, Kelly has certainly emerged quickly as one of the elite playmakers at the quarterback position.

However, if the unfathomable happens and Kelly misses time for any reason, the Rebels appear capable of replacing one of the nation’s best quarterbacks, too. As FOX Sports’ Bruce Feldman points out in his Top 10 quarterback groups heading into the season, the Ole Miss quarterback room is as talented as they come in the SEC thanks to redshirt freshman Jason Pellerin and true freshman (and early enrollee) Shea Patterson:

No one ever doubted Chad Kelly’s talent. He’s got good athleticism and a big-time arm, but he really blossomed in the second half of last season. He had 17 TDs and one INT over the Rebels’ final four games. Folks inside the Ole Miss program really like how he’s handled coaching, dealt with adversity and embraced being a leader. Behind him the Rebels have two intriguing options: 6-4, 230-pound Jason Pellerin, a guy who excels at running the QB power and QB counter and has some Tim Tebow in his game; and Shea Patterson, a freshman many college coaches saw as the top QB prospect in the entire 2016 signing class. Patterson doesn’t have prototypical size at around 6-1, but he is extremely sharp and polished and has a very quick release and accurate arm.

While many may not understand how talented the Ole Miss quarterback room will be entering the 2016 season, if Patterson develops and fully realizes his potential down the line, the amount of arm talent the Rebels have to work with this season could be talked about for years to come.

At least one longtime NFL talent evaluator has already begun to sing the praises of the true freshman and jumped on the Patterson hype train early: