Word first broke late last week that quarterback Raymond Cotton was considering a transfer from Ole Miss just a couple of weeks before the start of summer camp.
Head coach Houston Nutt seemed relatively confident the redshirt freshman would remain with the Rebels, if for nothing more than the fact that both of Cotton’s parents wanted him to remain in Oxford.
Nutt’s confidence was seemingly misplaced, however, as Cotton has indeed decided to transfer. According to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Cotton was concerned about playing time and the fact that Nathan Stanley, who nudged Cotton for the starting job coming out of spring practice, was invited to the Manning Passing Academy this summer and he wasn’t.
The Mobile Press-Register reports that Cotton could be headed to South Alabama.
Cotton’s departure leaves the Rebels with just two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster -- Stanley and JUCO transfer Randall Mackey. Nutt has intimated that he will look to add a third quarterback before the start of camp, and the Clarion-Ledger brings up a very intriguing, albeit head-scratching, name.
The paper reports that former Oregon star Jeremiah Masoli could be a possibility. Masoli has been linked to Ole Miss in the past, but Nutt denied any interest at the time.
That was before Cotton left, so what Nutt’s mindset is in the here and now in relation to Masoli remains to be seen. There’s no questioning Masoli’s talent at the collegiate level, but is it enough to trump the dual-threat QB’s quite hefty off-field baggage?
That’s an unanswerable question right now, but, with camp starting early next month, there should be a resolution one way or the other in the not-to-distant future.