Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral Named to Walter Camp Award Watch List
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral was named to the Walter Camp Football Foundation 2021 Player of the Year preseason watch list on Friday, marking yet another preseason award watch list for the Rebel signal-caller.
Corral, one of 13 quarterbacks and 35 total student-athletes named to the list, has also been named to the Maxwell and Davey O-Brien Award Watch Lists.
“We are proud to continue the great work of Walter Camp and recognize the best college football players in the nation,” Foundation president Mario Coppola said. “This watch list is a great start to what is shaping up to be another exciting year of college football.”
Corral passed for 3,337 yards and 29 touchdowns in the 2020, SEC-only campaign, completing 70.9 percent of his passes.
Keep an eye on this guy. 👀
📰 https://t.co/CvBB2Dbe3V@corral_matt | @WalterCampFF pic.twitter.com/46U7FL6a9R
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) July 30, 2021
The Ventura, California native is a preseason All-America and first-team All-SEC selection. Last season, Corral was just the fourth SEC player in league history to finish as NCAA leader in total offense per game (384.9), joining the elite club with Pat Sullivan (1970), Rex Grossman (2001) and Johnny Manziel (2012).
Corral, a junior, finished No. 5 in the FBS in passing yards per game (333.7), No. 7 in passing touchdowns (29), No. 9 in passing efficiency (177.6) and No. 11 in passing yards per completion (14.5). He is also the returning SEC leader in eight separate categories.
The 2021 watch list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists in mid-November. The 2021 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 130 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced live on ESPN on Thursday, December 9. The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s 55th annual national awards banquet on January 15, 2022 in New Haven, Conn.
Walter Camp, “The Father of American football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.
2021 Walter Camp Player of Year Preseason Players to Watch
Will Anderson, LB, Alabama
Tank Bigsby, RB, Auburn
Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson
Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss
Dustin Crum, QB, Kent State
Jayden Daniels, QB, Arizona State
JT Daniels, QB, Georgia
Dillon Gabriel, QB, UCF
Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State
Cade Hall, DE, San Jose State
Kyle Hamilton, DB, Notre Dame
Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
Mohamed Ibrahim, RB, Minnesota
Brandon Joseph, DB, Northwestern
D’Eriq King, QB, Miami
Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State
DeMarvin Leal, DL, Texas A&M
Grayson McCall, QB, Coastal Carolina
John Metchie, WR, Alabama
Sincere McCormick, RB, UTSA
Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
Michael Penix, Jr., QB, Indiana
Brock Purdy, QB, Iowa State
Spencer Rattler, QB, Oklahoma
Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
Mike Rose, LB, Iowa State
Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson
Kedon Slovis, QB, USC
Derek Stingley, DB, LSU
Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon
Demetrius Taylor, DE, Appalachian State
Kyren Williams, RB, Notre Dame
Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
(Photo credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)
David Walker
David Walker was named Louisiana’s High School Player of the Year at just 16 years old and, at 17, became college football’s first quarterback to earn Freshman of the Year honors. He remains the NCAA’s youngest-ever starting quarterback, a distinction that has stood for decades.
Transitioning from a wide-open high school offense to Emory Bellard’s renowned wishbone triple option, Walker excelled as a dual-threat quarterback. He graduated as Texas A&M’s all-time winningest quarterback and served as a two-time team captain, helping to transform a program that had endured 15 losing seasons in the previous 16 years.
After his playing career, Walker coached and taught algebra at six Texas high schools before moving into private business. In 2011, he published his memoir, “I’ll Tell You When You’re Good,” a title inspired by the coaching philosophy of Shannon Suarez, the Sulphur High and Louisiana High School Hall of Fame coach who was a significant influence on Walker’s life and career.
Walker’s compelling storytelling in his autobiography reflects the breadth of his experiences in high school and college football, and it is an undeniable fact that he saw more action than any athlete in the history of the NCAA. Since 2013, he has contributed to The Rebel Walk, sharing his insights and expertise with readers.
