Four-star 2018 quarterback Matt Corral, of Long Beach Poly in California, has decided where he’ll be playing his college ball. The signal caller who was a Florida verbal commitment since July flipped to Ole Miss in early December and signed with the Rebels on the first day of college football’s Early Signing Period.
4-star Matt Corral signs with Ole Miss after flipping from Dan Mullen’s Florida, a recruiting surprise days before Early Signing Period
He had been committed to Florida since the summer before flipping to Ole Miss before the ESP.
The flip came as a bit of a surprise, but given the coaching change Florida went through in hiring Dan Mullen, this was an obvious possibility.
For Ole Miss, this is huge, and Corral could end up playing in Oxford immediately, thanks to the departure of former five-star QB Shea Patterson, who announced his transfer to Michigan earlier this week amid NCAA sanctions. Here’s Red Cup Rebellion on the commitment:
This commitment is monumental for several reasons. One, a four-star Elite 11 Finalist and U.S. Army All-American has decided to look past all the recent distractions and bad news and has seemingly decided to take it upon himself to lead this 2018 class and rebuild a tarnished image that has been slandered by almost everyone. Two, it shows that Matt Luke and his staff are out for blood now and will stop at nothing to sign some players to get this back to where it was in 2015 when they were hoisting hardware in the Superdome. And three, Mullen went in-home with his new offensive coordinator Brian Johnson and threw up a Hail Mary and Corral still chose the Rebels.
And here’s Alligator Army’s take on the situation:
It is the most significant possible loss for Florida’s class, which coalesced around Corral’s commitment in the wake of the Gators’ Friday Night Lights camp in July. Corral was the highest-rated quarterback to commit to the Gators since at least Jeff Driskel.
Corral had been vocal about his desire to stick with Florida all fall — through a disastrous season for the Gators that involved rumors about the job status of the coach and offensive coordinator that convinced him to choose the Gators, and then the firing of that coach. But Mullen pursued Georgia commit Justin Fields and widened Florida’s net at quarterback immediately upon taking the head job at Florida — and while he may have made traction with one of the 2018 class’s most inscrutable recruits, Corral appeared on social media to be uncomfortable with that move.
That discomfort may have helped spur an interest in Ole Miss, which got Corral to campus last weekend, sparking more rumors about an impending flip.
Corral was being recruited by a number of SEC schools, including Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and the ACC’s Miami. Prior to committing to Florida, he was a longtime USC commit until this past June. Corral has a strong arm, and his stock grew higher after the Elite 11 and Opening Finals.
This isn’t a comparison of the two, because it wouldn’t be fair to Corral, but he plays the game in a style similar to Brett Favre’s. Corral thinks he can make just about every throw on the field, and he’s often right. He’s a good athlete even though he’s not a run-first type, and he’s not afraid to sling the ball virtually anywhere.
Corral’s commitment, along with his skillset, probably will make Ole Miss fans feel a whole lot better about their quarterback situation heading into the 2018 season.
