Ole Miss football: Lane Kiffin talks QB battle, John Rhys Plumlee at WR

Ole Miss knows Matt Corral is its starting quarterback, but there is competition for the No. 2 spot. Rebels coach Lane Kiffin said Monday that Luke Altmeyer and Kinkead Dent are the two candidates.

The battle comes after John Rhys Plumlee, the backup last season, made the move to receiver.

“Kinkaid and Luke will be in a really big competition for that spot, knowing at times John can go back there,” Kiffin said. “But the focus is John playing receiver because I don’t think he can get really good at that doing both, having never done it before.”

Plumlee is also on the baseball team, where he is a centerfielder. He made 18 starts this past season, scoring 21 runs and recording seven RBIs. Ole Miss football held its first open practice Monday, and it was reported that Plumlee got most of his reps at receiver with the first team. It appears the position change could lead to an increased role in 2021.

“He’s basically there full-time for right now early in camp.” Kiffin said. “Seeing how we can develop him there. That’s really the only fair thing we can do for him. Going back and forth, it’s really to hard to do that at this level and get good at it.”

Plumlee also fielded punts in practice which hints that he could be a return man for Ole Miss football.

As for the backup quarterbacks, it looks like Altmeyer has the early edge. The freshman took almost all of his reps with the second team Monday. A redshirt sophomore, Dent spent most of the day with the third team.

The Rebels have only three scholarship players at quarterback, four if you count Plumlee.

However, it seems very apparent that his days of playing that position are mostly done. Look for him to line up the slot on Saturdays in 2021. His transition will be an interesting story to monitor in the SEC. He has potential to be a third option behind Jonathan Mingo and Dontario Drummond.

The Rebels lose Elijah Moore and Kenny Yeboah, their top receivers from 2020. It’s clear they are going to attempt to do everything they can to replace that production. He might not ascend to superstar level, but Plumlee has an opportunity to do a lot more for the Rebels this season.

Photo courtesy of Ed Zurga/Getty Images.