Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt hasn’t officially named a starting quarterback for the fall exiting spring practice, but, if the decision were made today, Nutt insists he would start former West Virginia quarterback Barry Brunetti.
“If we played tonight, Brunetti would probably go out there first,” Nutt said Tuesday at the SEC meetings. “I love his attitude and his work ethic. I just really appreciate the way he goes about his business.”
Brunetti transferred from WVU after one season in which he threw only four completions for a paltry six yards as he sat behind starter Geno Smith. Following WVU’s loss to North Carolina State in the Champs Sports Bowl, Brunetti moved on to Ole Miss to be closer to his mother, who continues to battle health issues. Because of his mother’s condition, Brunetti received a hardship waver and has been cleared to play immediately.
Despite Nutt’s vote of confidence, Brunetti is still in a three-way race for the starting quarterback job with Randall Mackey and Zack Stoudt.
“Randall took off the first eight days of practice, but Brunetti came on really strong at the end [of spring practice],” Nutt said.
(Big thanks: Go Vols Xtra)