Former Ole Miss quarterback and professional football journeyman Matt Corral has found a new home in Minneapolis.
The Minnesota Vikings announced on Friday that Corral had been signed by the NFL franchise. Corral’s signing comes after rookie signal-caller J.J. McCarthy suffered a meniscus injury during Saturday’s preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. The former Michigan star and collegiate national champion underwent surgery this week and is out for the remainder of the 2024 season.
The #Vikings have signed QB Matt Corral and placed QB J.J. McCarthy on IR. pic.twitter.com/FgYh4Q4rxs
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 16, 2024
During his college days, Corral got his first start with the Rebels as a true freshman in the final year of Matt Luke’s tenure as head coach. The gunslinger put rumors of transferring out aside when Lane Kiffin was tabbed to be Ole Miss’ frontman.
Under the guidance of Kiffin and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, now the current Mississippi State head coach, Corral thrived and became one of the most notable signal-callers in the sport. While with Ole Miss, Corral logged 8,287 yards in the air for 57 touchdowns, completing 67% of his passes. He also used his legs to his advantage, recording 1,338 rushing yards for 18 scores.
But that ultimately worked to his disadvantage as the Ventura, California native’s final college game was cut short after Corral was sacked by Baylor’s Cole Maxwell in the first quarter of the 2021 Sugar Bowl. The quarterback had to be escorted off the field by trainers with an injury later ruled to be a high ankle sprain.
Though the injury made the prospects of an early debut more challenging for Corral, the Carolina Panthers took a chance on the promising rookie in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. From there, Corral’s lingering foot injury reared its ugly head once more, keeping him sidelined for the entirety of the regular season.
One year later, Corral went on to appear in three preseason games for the Panthers, though the writing was on the wall. Carolina had moved on from developing Corral after drafting Alabama Heisman winner Bryce Young to be the face of the franchise. The Panthers ultimately cut Corral from the roster.
But a new opportunity arose for the once Ole Miss great when the New England Patriots acquired him through the waiver wire last September. Nonetheless, Corral’s stint in Foxborough was shorter lived than his time in Charlotte. After leaving the Patriots for personal reasons, Corral was shortly released from the team with efforts to rejoin curtailed.
Fortunately for Corral, his time on the gridiron was not yet finished. The quarterback was picked up by the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions where he went 3-0 in his starts, completing 36 of 62 passes for 494 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. The Stallions went on to win the 2024 UFL championship.
Corral will now have the opportunity to battle alongside former Southern Miss standout Nick Mullens for a spot on the Vikings’ roster.
