Drops of sweat trickled down Matt Corral’s face as he spoke to reporters at the start of training camp on Tuesday.
The sweat came from the South Carolina sun staring at the rookie, or from reporters’ questions about a Panthers quarterback room that had gotten bigger after the team traded for Baker Mayfield.
Most of the discussion about that addition has focused on the two players fighting for the runway – Mayfield and Sam Darnold – but the move also pushes Corral down on the depth chart, where he can further study a complicated playbook.
When asked about dealing with a quarterback league, Corral looked back on his college days with Ole Miss.
“I took the easy road because I felt I could play straight away,” he said of his decision to go to Oxford, miss. a place where I would have competed.”
Like a true freshman, Corral played four games before getting a red shirt. He played three more years with Ole Miss as a starter, culminating in his red shirt junior campaign where he started 13 games, threw 3,349 yards, passed 20 touchdowns and ran 11 more.
The 23-year-old cost Carolina two picks (a 2022 fourth-round pick and a 2023 third-round pick) which they used to advance to the No. 94 overall roster — a significant bet for a player who scheduled to become the third-string quarterback.
According to a source with immediate knowledge, General Manager Scott Fitterer called Corral after the draft to reassure him that he would remain the team’s future for the position, a very real possibility given that both Mayfield and Darnold have expiring contracts.
When asked about that interview, Corral said that although he had only been in the league for a short time, he understood that the NFL operated like a business.
“You can only control what you can control and right now it’s mine to learn the script and put my best foot forward,” he said. “ … There is certainly a lot to learn. I’m in a hurry, but I’m not, if that makes sense.”
That playbook learning process is a major reason why Corral isn’t expected to be a serious competitor for the team’s runway.
The transition between the system of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and Panthers offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo was not an easy one, even though Corral made good progress during the off-season.
“The important thing is just being consistent with (studying the playbook),” Corral said. He said he woke up at 4:30 AM and went to sleep at 10:00 PM, using his free time during the day to study the material.
That study is required, according to experienced Panthers players. Wide receiver DJ Moore, entering his fifth season, called the schedule “complicated in a good way.”
“Once you have it, you have it,” he said. “If you don’t have it, you certainly don’t have it.”
