Five Rebels earn spots on Media Preseason All-SEC Team
Published 4:09 pm Friday, July 23, 2021
Corral, Ealy Both Land on First Team
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Five Ole Miss players were selected to the preseason All-Southeastern Conference teams Friday in a vote by media members at the 2021 SEC Media Days.
Matt Corral (QB) and Jerrion Ealy (RS, AP) both earned first-team accolades, while Nick Broeker (OL), Ben Brown (C) and Mac Brown (P) were among the third-team honorees.
Additionally, Ole Miss was slotted fourth in the Western Division in the preseason media poll behind Alabama, Texas A&M and LSU. Auburn, Arkansas and Mississippi State rounded out the west standings.
In the East, Georgia was picked as the favorite followed by Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Alabama was picked to hoist the trophy at the end of the season, followed by Georgia in second. The Rebels, Texas A&M, Florida, Kentucky and South Carolina all received one vote.
Corral, who is on the watch list for both the Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien Award, returns after completing over 70 percent of his passes for 3,337 yards and 29 touchdowns last year in a 10-game season.
Corral, a preseason All-America selection, finished No. 5 in passing yards per game (333.7), No. 7 in passing TDs (29), No. 9 in passing efficiency (177.6) and No. 11 in passing yards per completion (14.5). The junior signal-caller is the returning SEC leader in eight separate categories. He also led the SEC with eight completions of 40 yards or more.
Ealy, who garnered first-team honors as both a return specialist and all-purpose player, led the Rebels in all rushing categories in 2020 with 147 carries for 745 yards and nine touchdowns. Ealy has also hauled in 15 catches for 155 yards and one touchdown.
The Walnut Grove, Mississippi, native ranked No. 25 in the FBS last season with 132.1 all-purpose yards per game. His 11 total touchdowns ranked No. 26. Ealy recently earned first-team preseason All-America honors from Phil Steele as an all-purpose player.
Broeker and Ben Brown both started all 10 games for the Rebels last season on the offensive line. Broeker, a native of Springfield, Illinois, held down the starting spot at left tackle all season while Brown didn’t allow a sack in 432 pass blocks at center. Brown, a versatile player, has started every game the last three years at numerous o-line positions for the Rebels.
Mac Brown, a three-year returning starter at punter and holder who is exercising his additional year of eligibility due to pandemic, totaled 27 punts on the year and averaged 46.6 yards per punt, including a long of 59 yards. The Wuerffel Trophy semifinalist posted 11 punts greater than 50 yards in 2020.
