HOOVER, Alabama — Matt Corral’s turning point may have come at his lowest point.

Ole Miss’ quarterback had thrown six interceptions in a loss at Arkansas.

Before Corral could even get out of his uniform, Lane Kiffin called him into a room just off the visitors’ locker room in Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

“He told me that there's a reason that he didn't pull me,” Corral said. "He said he believed in me. He said, ‘I believe what you can do. I believe in your ability. You're our guy moving forward. Like there's no issue with me. We're going to get it fixed.’ So just having that relationship with him helped a lot.

Corral threw for 3,337 yards, leading Ole Miss to a 5-5 season, one capped by an Egg Bowl win over Mississippi State and an Outback Bowl win over Indiana.

“(Ole Miss offensive coordinator) Coach (Jeff) Lebby, Coach Kiffin, they've all done a great job of forming me into this quarterback ultimately,” Corral said. “Not only a quarterback, but a better person off the field. …But they changed my whole thought process, man. They changed my whole thought process in how I look at a defense and how I just approach the game and the way I get ready for a game. It's something different that I didn't do two years ago when I was a freshman. Now it's become habit. Truly, I'm blessed. I got lucky with them. I did.”

Entering the 2021 season, Corral is a borderline Heisman candidate, a likely first-round draft choice and an All-SEC quarterback on a team that is expected to make noise in the toughest division in America.

“Matt is one of the hardest workers on the team, and just with Coach Kiffin sticking with him after that Arkansas game, it didn't shock any of us because we knew Matt was our guy,” Ole Miss defensive back Jaylon Jones said. “He’s our leader.

“In the spring, all I've been seeing, Matt, every day he's looking to get better. He is getting better. This year, I think he's going to put up way more numbers than he has before just because of his mental side of it. You can tell that he's noticing things before the ball snaps. He's getting guys aligned. He's really becoming a general more than he was before.”

Corral said there’s a feeling in Oxford this preseason, one he said he’s never experienced before playing football.

“This is the definition of a football team and I think a lot of people aren’t going to understand that until they really see us in action,” Corral said. “Just from the standpoint of leadership and the camaraderie that we have, how close we’ve grown together, how much we trust each other, we’ve got each other’s back on and off the field. …This team is. just different.”

Corral said the Rebels defense is playing “with a chip on their shoulder,” adding they’re “constantly practicing with no coaches out there, so that speaks volumes.”

Corral said he’s changed nothing this offseason. He’s focusing on the mental aspects of his game and the intangibles that separate good from great. And he’s emerged as an unquestioned leader.

“That creates a bond that is unbreakable,” Corral said. “It’s much deeper than just football. ...It's going to show come game time."