Ole Miss freshman QB Grant Tisdale has entered the transfer portal

The room was a bit crowded so it was bound to happen, but you hate for it to happen with four games left in the 2019 season.

True freshman Grant Tisdale has entered the transfer portal, per reports from the Rivals’ E.J. Holland Tuesday afternoon, and the Rebel quarterback room is now down to redshirt freshman Matt Corral and true freshmen John Rhys Plumlee and Kinkead Dent.

The former four-star quarterback out of Allen, Tex. had appeared in just one game this season, completing two passes for 56 yards and a touchdown against Alabama, but never saw the field outside of that final drive in garbage time in Tuscaloosa.

And boy what a one drive it was.

Most reports out of fall practice had Tisdale listed as the No. 2 behind Corral, but once the starter went down against Cal it was Plumlee that entered the game and took over from then on. And with the aforementioned crowd in the quarterback room, it was only a matter of time before someone transferred out with the numbers starting to work against them this season.

Not to mention, four-star dual-threat quarterback Robby Ashford is committed and will be on campus for 2020. The quarterback situation will only get more interesting next season once the 6’3, 205-pounder arrives on campus and starts competing for playing time.

Despite the success on the ground via Plumlee’s playmaking ability and the emergence of Snoop Conner and Jerrion Ealy, the aerial attack was lacking with Corral still recovering from a rib injury and Plumlee struggling to stretch the field with his arm. I, along with others, thought this is where Tisdale was going to step in with his skill set and arm talent.

Alas, he was never given the chance as Plumlee found a niche in Rodriguez’s offense, sparking a run game that now averages over 230 yards a game on the ground, good enough for second in the SEC and 19th in the nation.

Even still, it was still quite peculiar to me personally that Tisdale was never afforded a shot to prove his worth in the quarterback room while Corral was recovering and the offense needed someone to drive the football downfield.

Now, the Rebels will be counting on Corral and Plumlee to carry the load for the remainder of the 2019 season before Ashford arrives in 2020 and will join Dent and the others in the competition.

Tisdale signed with the Rebs in their 2019 class over notable offers from Baylor, SMU, Houston, Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Oregon, and Utah after going 30-1 as the starter at Allen High School, throwing for 5,088 yards over three years, and guiding the Eagles as a junior to a 16-0 record en route to the Texas 6A state title.

Here at the Cup, we wish him the best of luck wherever he may end up and hope he throws for thousands and thousands of yards and all of the touchdowns.