Chad Kelly Perfect Fit to Keep Ole Miss as a Top SEC Contender

Ole Miss has become synonymous with transfer quarterbacks, as Jeremiah Masoli, Randall Mackey and Bo Wallace all have started games under center for the Rebels since 2010.

It appears that former Clemson and current East Mississippi Community College quarterback Chad Kelly might be next in line to the transfer throne.

The 3-star prospect and the No. 1 dual-threat junior college quarterback in the class of 2015, per 247Sports, announced his decision to transfer on Twitter.

Kelly is a perfect choice to fill the shoes of Wallace—who will play his last game as a Rebel at the Georgia Dome against TCU in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

"I know Bo Wallace, he's a great quarterback and he happens to be leaving," Kelly told Riley Blevins of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. "I have to go in there and fight for the job.... They're looking for a guy to come in right away, that's why you recruit a junior college quarterback."

RICHARD SHIRO/Associated Press

He was a 4-star prospect out of the St. Joseph School in Buffalo, New York, in the class of 2012 who threw for 5,354 yards, rushed for 2,132 and accounted for 81 touchdowns (52 passing, 29 rushing) in 23 high school games played, according to MaxPreps.com.

He ran into some issues at Clemson last offseason, and was dismissed by head coach Dabo Swinney for conduct detrimental to the team.

"I let down not only my coaches, and teammates, but also Clemson University and all of our fans," Kelly said in April in a statement, according to The Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "Most importantly, I've let down myself and my family."

There's no doubt that Hugh Freeze is taking a risk on Kelly.

The dismissal from Clemson should be concerning, but Kelly led East Mississippi to a national title this season, passing for 3,905 yards and 47 touchdowns while tossing only eight picks, according to stats from the school. He added 446 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, which will be a huge benefit to the Rebels—who haven't been able to establish a running game between the tackles since Freeze took over prior to the 2012 season.

He's worth the risk for Ole Miss and can absolutely keep the Rebels in the conference title conversation.

Vince Sanders is the only senior who caught more than one pass this year for the Rebels. That means Kelly will have nearly a full cast of characters outside including Laquon Treadwell, Cody Core, Quincy Adeboyejo and tight end Evan Engram next fall if he's the starting quarterback.

Couple that with all of Ole Miss' top rushers returning and a defense that can compete with the very best in the country, and Ole Miss is set up to be in the thick of the SEC West in 2015.

If it doesn't work out with Kelly, Freeze still has options under center including pro-style quarterback Ryan Buchanan and dual-threat quarterback DeVante Kincade—both of whom will be redshirt sophomores in 2015. 

Kelly gives Freeze another option, and when you're replacing a three-year starter with a player who doesn't have a ton of experience, finding one that has—albeit at the junior college level—is a smart move.

If it doesn't work out, Buchanan and Kincade are still viable options, plus Kelly's presence will, if anything, cause both of them to up their game this offseason as the position battle rages on.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.