Bo Wallace would be wise to take notice of former University of Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett during his Southeastern Conference media days appearance three years ago.
On the first day of the 2010 media days in Hoover, Ala., Mallett took to the podium wearing a suit and a waking boot after having surgery on his foot and addressed the crowd of reporters with the confidence of a political candidate.
“Hello, my name is Ryan Mallett and my foot is fine,” Mallett said at the podium in front of over 1,000 print reporters in the room.
Wallace, the junior returning starter at quarterback at the University of Mississippi, is coming back from offseason shoulder surgery executed in January and is now in the late stages of his recovery that has already included informal workout sessions and passing routes with his Rebels receivers this summer. According to Ole Miss officials he was allowed to throw again in May but tomorrow he’ll need to properly answer over and over about the health of his shoulder.
“We’re definitely headed in the right direction,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said on April 13 after the Ole Miss spring game. “Offensively, we need to get some kids back healthy and get more consistent at quarterback then can move the ball more effectively.”
Due to the Rebels’ countless injuries in the spring, particularly along the offensive line, the competition took on a practice format that featured offense vs. defense in scrimmage periods separated by periods of regular practice drills.
The Rebels have decided to bring All-SEC receiver Donte Moncrief and linebacker Mike Marry to join Wallace to the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Ala., for the annual event to unofficially kick off the SEC football season.
Wallace and Mississippi State University’s Tyler Russell are among nine quarterbacks scheduled to attend the event spread over three days.
Wallace, a junior and former JUCO national player of the year at East Mississippi Community College, passed for the third-most yards (2,994) and fourth-most touchdowns (22) in Ole Miss history last year en route to capturing the C-Spire Conerly Trophy as the state’s top collegiate player. The Pulaski, Tenn., native finished top five in the SEC in points, total offense and passing yards in his first season in Oxford.
“The first couple months, you wonder if you’ll ever be the same again,” Wallace said to The Associated Press. “When you can barely lift your arm, you can’t help but worry. Then you see how it’s getting better and the confidence returns. I can’t wait to get back on the field.”
Wallace also threw the most interceptions in the SEC last year (17) and the number represented the most by a starting quarterback in the league since the Rebels Jevan Snead had 20 in 2009.
“He plays the game like he lives his life – with a lot of passion,” Freeze said to the Associated Press. “Sometimes that leads to poor decisions. He’ll be the first to tell you that.”
Wallace will be counted on to stay healthy in 2013 as the four quarterbacks who saw action in the spring game in April went 15 of 37 for 197 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.
“Barry (Brunetti) is just so athletic that there’s things we can use him in if we get a healthy line in front of him,” Freeze said. “All of the quarterbacks will be better when that occurs, but I would say that position is still a concern.”
Wallace told the Daily Journal in Tupelo that co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Dan Werner could watch him throw this summer during his rehab work via a waiver obtained through the NCAA office.
The summer program with the Rebels receivers was key for the pitch-and-catch combinations as most of the receivers missed key time in the spring with injuries as well.
Moncrief was limited for most of the spring with a shoulder injury, and junior wide receiver Vince Sanders, of Noxubee County High School, was held out of Grove Bowl activities due to an undisclosed injury.
“The problem is the one position I’ve seen multiple guys step up is the backs, and that’s one place we don’t seem to have an depth issue,” Werner said with a laugh. “I was pleased with the effort despite all the injuries, so when we do get the primary guys back, we liked to know we have guys that can step in. I’m still not sure.”
Freeze and the Rebel coaching staff welcome back 58 lettermen from last season, including 19 of 22 position starters, and look to speed up their tempo offense even more in 2013.
“Quite a bit different,” Freeze said when asked to describe his second spring game with the Rebels. “Last spring, everything they heard was foreign to them. Most of them this time had retained what we’d gone over in the fall, so we thought we could maintain a good pace.”
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