Danny O'Brien: New Ole Miss Head Coach Hugh Freeze Desperately Needs QB

Add another SEC school to the Danny O'Brien sweepstakes. In addition the attention already given to his flirtation with Vanderbilt, the former Maryland quarterback will also visit the Ole Miss Rebels.

Another transfer at Ole Miss? Yep, that's about par for the course.

Ole Miss is certainly in search of a quarterback. Zack Stoudt, Randall Mackey and Barry Brunetti—all of whom transferred to the Ole Miss program—saw time under center for the Rebels in 2011; and new head coach Hugh Freeze brought in Bo Wallace from junior college in his first recruiting class in Oxford. 

Wallace is the presumed starter for the Rebels, but there's nothing to suggest that he's the man for the job. He knows Freeze's offense from his redshirt season at Arkansas State, but he has never taken a snap in FBS.

O'Brien, on the other hand, has enjoyed plenty of success. He threw for 2,438 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2010 and was voted the ACC Rookie of the Year. Inconsistent play early in his sophomore season earned O'Brien a spot on the bench and, subsequently, a ticket out of College Park. He will graduate this semester, but has two years of eligibility remaining, which means that the SEC's new rule forbidding one-and-done graduate students doesn't apply to him.

If O'Brien lands in Oxford, is it a gamble? Absolutely. Transfers like Jeremiah Masoli, Brent Schaeffer and the four quarterbacks currently on the roster have earned Ole Miss the moniker of "Transfer U." Freeze would be well-served to do all that he can to rid the program of that title, but now isn't the time.

O'Brien is a significant upgrade from any of the quarterbacks currently on campus, and even though there's a grace period during coaching changes, Ole Miss needs to at least be competitive in Freeze's first year to calm the fanbase.

O'Brien will help him do that.