QB Corral emerges as new leader for Ole Miss football
HOOVER, Ala. — Like countless college freshmen before him and countless college freshmen to come, Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral realized days before his first big job interview that he needed to buy a new suit.
Corral, a redshirt freshman who will take over as Ole Miss' starting quarterback this fall, was one of the Rebels' three representatives at SEC Media Days on Tuesday. Of the 42 players chosen to represent their teams in Hoover this week, Corral was the only player from any team who isn't a junior or senior.
Corral said he wasn't told he'd be speaking at the event until Ole Miss coach Matt Luke called him with the news last Thursday. Naturally, Corral's first thought went straight to what he'd be wearing.
"I had no suit," Corral said. "As soon as I heard, I had to go get a suit right after that. But I was excited to hear the news and have him tell me that."
Luke said the reason he felt comfortable bringing Corral with him to Hoover revolved around Corral's acceptance of his call to lead. Luke said he thinks Corral was forced into a leadership role by virtue of being the most veteran quarterback on the Rebels' roster.
Corral said he doesn't see things the same way. The quarterback doesn't think he was forced to lead by any stretch. This is the way he wants it to be. He said the opportunity to lead and to see the field as a younger player is part of the reason he was attracted to play at Ole Miss.
Still, Corral's inexperience is worth noting. He retained his redshirt eligibility in 2018 by playing in only four games, completing 16 of his 22 pass attempts (72.7 percent) for 239 yards and two touchdowns. He said playing in those four games last season taught him that the main difference between college football and high school football isn't so much about the speed of the players, but about the speed of reads and reactions. Thinking fast, from Corral's perspective, might be even more important than playing fast.
With departing senior Jordan Ta'amu exhausting his eligibility after the Egg Bowl, Corral took over as Ole Miss' de facto starting quarterback in the spring. Since then, Luke said he's seen some of Corral's off-field traits develop into assets.
"It's just confidence," Luke explained. "Not being afraid to speak up. And just building that rapport with everybody. You get all those reps and you take all that time in the spring and the summer. I think it’s important for him to use that time to build his rapport with the offensive line and running backs and receivers. I think just being that guy really helps."
Oddly enough, Corral might be the youngest of nine quarterbacks in Hoover this week, but he's the oldest quarterback on Ole Miss' roster. The rest of Ole Miss' quarterback room is comprised of three true freshmen, two of whom early enrolled in the spring.
Adjusting to new offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez's scheme has been easy for Corral, who said he played in the same offense at Long Beach Poly in high school. And after spending an offseason working to gain chemistry with his new crop of wide receivers and running backs, Corral says knowing the prolific potential of this offense, Ole Miss fans might be in store for another season of high scoring offensive showings.
"If we're on the same page," Corral said, "that score is gonna be ran up for sure."
Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.