5 things to know about Patriots quarterback Matt Corral

Patriots

Get to know the latest addition to New England’s quarterback room.

The Patriots have claimed quarterback Matt Corral off of waivers, according to multiple reports.

The former Ole Miss quarterback was the 2021 Outback Bowl MVP, and he won the Connerly Trophy which is given to the most outstanding college football player in the state of Mississippi.

The 2022 third-round pick’s rookie season ended before it started last year. He was placed on injured reserve after suffering a Lisfranc injury during the preseason.

Will Corral see his first NFL regular-season action with the Patriots? Here are five things to know about New England’s latest addition to the quarterback room.

Tim Tebow once said Corral is “probably” the best Ole Miss QB ever

Last year, former Patriots quarterback turned college football analyst Tim Tebow said that Corral is arguably the best quarterback to ever suit up at Ole Miss.

“I’m really interested to see what Ole Miss looks like,” Tebow said during an episode of “SEC Now” while previewing the Rebels’ 2022 season. “It’s such a successful season last year, but you’re losing (offensive coordinator) Jeff Lebby. I think that’s a huge loss. And then, you’re also trying to replace probably the best quarterback in school history.”

That’s high praise, considering that Eli Manning, who beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl twice is an Ole Miss alum. New Orleans Saints ring of honor member Archie Manning, the father of Eli and Peyton Manning, also played quarterback at Ole Miss.

Carolina traded up with the Patriots to get Corral

The Patriots traded their third-round pick (No. 94) to the Panthers last year, who used the pick to select Corral.

The Patriots received a fourth-round pick (No. 137), which they used to take Bailey Zappe. They also received a 2023 third-round pick which they used to pick linebacker/safety Marte Mapu.

Corral suffered a season-ending injury against the Patriots last year

Corral left Gillette Stadium in a walking boot last preseason after injuring the Lisfranc joint in his foot during the Patriots-Panthers preseason game.

The injury caused Corral to open his rookie season on injured reserve. He ended up missing the entire season.

“I hate it for him. I hate it any time one of our guys is hurt,” said Matt Rhule, who was head coach of the Panthers at the time. “And I thought he was playing well too. I left him in that situation backed up, because I wanted him to have that, hey here’s the crowd, here’s the noise”

Corral once fought Wayne Gretzky’s son

According to TMZ, Corral switched high schools after getting into a fight with Tristan Gretzky, the son of NHL legend Wayne Gretzky.

Corral acknowledged the incident during a 2021 interview with Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports.

“That kid, his dad, went through hoops to f— my life up,” Corral told Dodd.

Corral finished his high school career at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, where he maintained his ranking as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks.

Corral was ranked ahead of Will Levis and Brock Purdy in high school

Corral was the No. 5 ranked pro-style quarterback in the nation during his senior year of high school in 2018, according to 247Sports.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was the No. 1 overall player in the country that year.

But, Corral was ranked higher than multiple NFL quarterbacks including Titans quarterback Will Levis, and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.