LOOK: Lane Kiffin pays tribute to Matt Corral in unique way ahead of Ole Miss opener
Lane Kiffin and Matt Corral took to each other more than any other head coach and quarterback in recent memory. Even if their paths didn’t cross during their football careers, it seems pretty evident that these two would be friends.
As Kiffin prepares to begin a new era at quarterback for the Rebels, Corral is in Carolina, drafted by the Panthers earlier this April. Still, the former Ole Miss quarterback is with his coach in spirit.
Check out the awesome tribute Kiffin paid to his former signal caller, rocking some Corral-themed socks for Saturday’s showdown with Troy.
“You still w us @corral_matt,” tweeted Kiffin. “LFG!!! Gameday!!!”
Few athletes make as big of an impact on a coach and a program as Matt Corral did on Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin, and it’s commendable how the latter is honoring his quarterback after moving on. With his former signal caller with him in spirit, the Rebels are in fantastic shape for Saturday’s game.
Report: Ole Miss will start Jaxson Dart at quarterback vs. Troy per Matt Stinchcomb
Moreover, the Ole Miss Rebels have finally decided on a starting quarterback for their Week 1 matchup against the Troy Trojans on Saturday, naming Jaxson Dart their starter. Matt Stinchcomb revealed the Rebels’ plan on The Paul Finebaum Show on Friday.
“Jaxson Dart will be the first quarterback to go out on the field tomorrow, but the coaches were careful to say he’s not necessarily the start, that the competition has been so tight, that they’re literally just saying, ‘We’re going to allow Jaxson Dart to go out there,’” said Stinchcomb. “That’s an interesting approach in a lot of ways.”
Dart played in six games as a freshman at USC in 2021, throwing for 1353 yards and posting nine TDs to five interceptions. When he first arrived with the USC Trojans, he was one of the highest rated quarterback prospects in America coming out of high school. According to the On3 Consensus Rankings for the 2021 cycle, Dart was rated as the No. 7 quarterback prospect in America coming out of Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah). He was also named the national Gatorade Player of the Year coming out of high school.
He’s flashed his immense potential at times with surgically accurate spirals last year with the USC Trojans, but also struggled immensely with two interceptions in the Rebels spring game. Dart beat out Luke Altmeyer for the starting nod. But it’s important to note the quarterback battle isn’t finally settled with the Rebels just yet. Altmeyer was rated as a top 25 quarterback prospect in the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus Rankings.
The pair have battling it out all offseason and Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin waited until the last minute on Friday to make a decision on who was going to start the first game.
On3’s Chandler Vessels and Wade Peery also contributed to this article.