Practice Report: August 19

OXFORD, Miss. – At 5:30 a.m., while most of us are still resting snug in our beds, the projector in the Ole Miss football quarterbacks room is already humming.

After an up and down 2019 season, and the arrival of a new coaching staff, Matt Corral and John Rhys Plumlee decided they needed to add a little something extra to their offseason routine. So the pair added some extra early-morning film study to their schedule. Before long, they weren't alone.

"It just started with us, and it was a ripple effect throughout the whole quarterback room. Everybody started doing it. And it's just a normal thing now. The little things like that, I think, is what's going to make the difference," Corral said. "As a unit, I think we have done a hell of a job this year. By far, this is the hardest I've ever worked since I was trying to earn a scholarship."

The change will be more challenging for the quarterbacks than any other position group. The signal callers must transition from a run-heavy attack led by former offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez to a balanced scheme that will have Lane Kiffin, who has coached multiple 3,000-yard passers as well as 1,000-yard rushers, as its overseer, not to mention a talented staff at his disposal. In the new era, the quarterback must know his offense inside and out. For that, they head to the film room.

"With this new offense, there's a lot that's on our plate," Plumlee said. "As quarterbacks, you want to know everybody's role, everybody's job, so we decided to take it upon ourselves to come in a little bit earlier, to be able to watch some film, whether it is on defenses or our scheme that we're running, just to get a better grasp of the offense that we're running now."

The Rebel quarterbacks haven't just been doing it themselves. While speaking with the media after Ole Miss' third practice of fall camp on Wednesday, Corral and Plumlee both lauded offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Jeff Lebby, whose offense amassed more than 7,000 total yards (2,909 rushing, 4,117 passing) last season at UCF.

"It's a really good feeling, starting fresh and having a new mindset, clean slate, starting from the beginning again and just working up. The coaches have done a great job of breaking us down and building us back up as a unit," Corral said. "We understand why we're doing what we're doing as a quarterback room. We know why we're reading the single-side safety. We know why, when they go three-down, we have to read the C gap. Just having an understanding of why we're doing things and why we're calling the plays and where the coaches want the ball. That's what's so good about this system in my opinion."

New schemes don't just bring about mental challenges. As the offense as a whole physically runs differently, so too must the men behind center.

"With Coach Lebby and the new staff coming, one of the big things they wanted to do is clean up our footwork as quarterbacks, as a unit," Plumlee said. "That in itself has helped me a lot with being on time for routes and seeing the whole picture better. Sometimes I use my legs, and it can not go as well for me when I need to sit in there. Them cleaning that up a little bit and me learning from them has helped me a whole lot."

All that work has been so far, so good for the Rebel quarterbacks. Corral and Plumlee, each sophomores, return after splitting starting time a year ago. Grant Tisdale and Kinkead Dent are back for their redshirt freshman seasons after seeing limited action in 2019. Kade Renfro is the newcomer of the group after being recruited by Kiffin and Co. late in the cycle. All five bring a little something different to the table.

"Everyone has really caught on well to this new offense, this new scheme we're doing," Plumlee said. "Matt, of course, his ability to throw. Kinkead has stepped up big time. Grant, he has a really good mind for football. He always knows the answers when asked questions or when a defense presents something. Then Kade Renfro, young guy coming in, really learning the system like all of us. I think he's going to be really good in the future for sure."

After wrapping up their third day of practice, the leaders of the Rebel quarterback room faced pressing questions about the competition for the starting job. But for Corral and Plumlee, the only concern is the competition they each have with themselves to improve every day.

"We really try not to keep it going against each other. We try to focus on ourselves and get better ourselves, then doing what we need to work on mentally as a group," Corral said. "Then it's just taking it out to practice and applying it from the meetings. That's where we're taking the steps forward."

As the first week of fall camp rolls along, the Rebels now know exactly where those steps will lead and when. The Southeastern Conference released its full 2020 schedule featuring all in-conference games on Monday. The players will have plenty on their plates between now and then, but with the path paved, they can't help but take a little peek at what's to come.

"I'm really excited," Plumlee said. "Everyone I talked to on the team is really excited as well. I talked to Elijah Moore. I said, 'E, what do you think about it?' He said, 'They can't say nothing.' Which means, when we prove ourselves, when we make plays or do really good against these teams, you can't say that these teams aren't talented. We're going to be playing against really talented teams, but we're very confident going into the season."

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Players Mentioned

Matt Corral

Kinkead Dent

Elijah Moore

John Rhys Plumlee

Kade Renfro

Grant Tisdale

The University of Mississippi Athletics