The Devil You Know: Jevan Snead Departs for NFL

Not much made sense concerning Ole Miss Quarterback Jevan Snead this year: twenty picks overshadowed the same number of touchdowns, there were more signs of anxiety in the pocket rather than its opposite, and the big Texas kid with the big NFL arm starved for want of a big vertical threat. 

So when the news about Snead’s decision to turn pro came out last week it was less than surprising.  Everyone seemed to think he would return.  Consensus levels had been reached among analysts and journalist as well as their armchair counterparts, which is why I felt that the big kid with the big arm would go ahead and pursue his big dream.

I am yet to see his NFL Draft Advisory Board grade, but I have little doubt that it is higher than people are expecting. 

Snead can throw the nine, the seven, the slant, the go, the seam and the deep out; he moves well and can throw while doing so; and he seems to have both the posture and the mettle for the suit-and-tie side of the process. 

More than half the NFL is considering another option at the game’s premier position in their two year plans, and of the half that is not, half of those teams will within the next three to five years. 

As in college recruiting where there is always a scholarship for a big, fast, strong kid as a DE, in the NFL, there is always a spot for a quarterback project.

Let us not forget, Snead is a winner. 

Here I am speaking to the Ole Miss fans who are celebrating Snead’s departure.  Ole Miss won eighteen games in the last two years, including back-to-back victories over LSU and back-to-back Cotton Bowl Trophies. 

Nine wins in consecutive seasons has not happened in my lifetime.  That was not accomplished in spite of Snead.  True, he did not have a great year, even forgoing the insanity of pre-season predictions.  But the team still went 9-4 and won the Cotton Bowl. 

Most of the Ole Miss faithful would have sold their kids at the end of the 2007 season for that to happen once in the next two years, let alone twice. 

To chirp about how much better the program will be after seeing one of the best five quarterbacks ever to wear the uniform move on is myopic at best and asinine at worst. 

I’ll take the devil I know: the one with the skill set and eighteen wins under his belt. 

As a fan, I hope Nathan Stanley or Raymond Cotton deliver in a big way next year.  The team will be young and unproven on the offensive side of the ball in particular (check the two-deep from the end of this year and project it forward for a reality check). 

There is a lot of talent, no doubt, and there are some real stars in key skill positions.  However, Snead’s departure removes the umbrella for their development and puts a lot of pressure on Coaches Nutt and Austin.  Snead's inconsistency this year kept the heat off of them as well.

It is way too early to put a number on next year, but Ole Miss is going to miss Jevan Snead.  I just hope we don’t end up missing him too much.