Chad Kelly Will Win the Ole Miss Quarterback Battle in 2015

By Barrett Pfeiffer
chad kelly
Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports

The Ole Miss Rebels have a tough choice brewing. Over the course of the offseason, the Rebels have lost star quarterback Bo Wallace, who led the team to a 9-3 regular season record in 2014. Now Ole Miss was left in the dust with the quarterback situation and with the 2015 season inching closer and closer, there is still no starting quarterback who has come to power.

First of all, it’s going to be hard to replace a guy like Bo Wallace. Love him or hate him (and most of us can say we hate him), the guy did a lot for the Rebels. He started all 39 games in his three years as a Rebel and also led them to three bowl games. But as much as Ole Miss fans would have wanted Wallace and his giant ego to stay close to them, his college eligibility has ran out. Nonetheless it will be near impossible to find a quarterback with as much talent and charisma as Wallace in such a short period of time. The infamous quarterback battle in Ole Miss is happening between three different quarterbacks: Ryan Buchanan, Devante Kincade, and Chad “$wag” Kelly. Each one of these guys is so different from one another that it will just simply come down to who fits Hugh Freeze‘s system.

With Chad Kelly, there are the risks that come with the talented QB. He was released from the Clemson squad in 2013 due to disciplinary measures. But in 2014 Kelly had a stellar year at East Mississippi Community College, throwing for almost 4,000 yards. Then shortly after the transfer to Ole Miss, Kelly was caught in an altercation at a nightclub in Buffalo and is currently serving community service in this offseason as his punishment.

Ryan Buchanan is truly the only competitor for Chad Kelly this offseason. It’s easy to say that Devante Kincade never will really get his shot at the starting role for the 2015 season. Buchanan is going into his sophomore year and has shown true potential to be a future starter for the Rebels, but there is no way he’s beating out Kelly at this time. Kelly has the college experience under his belt that Buchanan will not match up to. Ryan Buchanan will serve as an excellent backup to the Rebel squad, having been under Freeze’s system for a year now. And if Kelly misbehaves or doesn’t adjust to system, Ryan Buchanan will always be a fine guy to help out the team. But for now, Chad Kelly takes the cake and will take on the tough SEC West.

Ole Miss has time to figure out their situation early this season, with easy home openers against UTM and Fresno. But the situation had better be figured out by Week 3, as the Rebels travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the tough and gritty Alabama Crimson Tide.

Share On FacebookShare StumbleUpon

You May Also Like