How often does a school get the opportunity to bring in a quarterback who is an established Heisman Trophy candidate one month before the season begins?

Former Oregon Duck quarterback Jeremiah Masoli posted on his website he intends to take up an offer from coach Houston Nutt to be a walk-on for the Mississippi Rebels.

He can play immediately under NCAA rules because he has earned his undergraduate degree and is enrolling in graduate school. The runaway Duck will work towards his Master's degree in parks management.

But the month of June brought about the separation of Masoli from the Oregon program. Coach Kelly was forced to dismiss him from the squad after he was cited for possession of marijuana during a traffic stop.

Masoli could still enroll at another school should he change his mind but maintains  he’ll arrive in Oxford on Wednesday to begin conditioning workouts.

Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt cannot talk about recruiting Masoli under NCAA rules at this time but found an opening on the Rebel roster recently when backup quarterback Raymond Cotton left the team.

The question arises, does the entire SEC suffer from bringing in a troubled player on top of all the investigations concerning several league schools? 

Masoli seems the perfect fit for Nutt’s Wild Rebel offense but with his past problems is he too good of a fit for the SEC? This episode could be the straw that breaks the camel's back in the never-ending public relations disasters concerning the conference.

From his viewpoint, Masoli is contrite and thankful just to be a survivor who can learn from his past actions and hope for the opportunity to set his life in order.

“A big shout-out to everyone who has given me strength and support during the last few months,” Masoli has stated.

Let's hope he takes advantage of his second chance to set his life in order.

And an SEC West division title would not hurt his reputation at all.