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OXFORD | Jason Pellerin arrived on campus last year and witnessed, at least on paper, a three-way quarterback battle between Chad Kelly, Ryan Buchanan and Devante Kincade.

There wasn't a clear team leader at first, but the first-year quarterback watched Kelly take hold of the job and the team on the way to a Sugar Bowl win and the third-best offensive season in SEC history.

A year after he came to Oxford, Pellerin sees an established captain in Kelly, who has taken ownership of the program and all the lofty goals that come with a program that has participated in back-to-back New Year's Six bowls.

"He leads so much off the field," Pellerin said. "For 7-on-7 people will be talking and saying they don’t want to go out there today, and Chad will be there motivating people and getting people better. He’s a great leader to have.

"There’s so much to learn from that guy. He’s a hard worker and always gets people rallied up. He controls the offense but has the DBs working, too. He’s getting this program where it needs to be."

Pellerin acknowledges his own improvements and abilities, but he paused for several seconds when asked if there's the mentality to be ready because snaps were always a play away.

"God forbid we don't want Chad to get hurt," Pellerin began before saying there's great talent at the position with Shea Patterson and himself.

Pellerin and Patterson split second team repetitions at practice Monday, and they have the best seats to watch Ole Miss' dynamo do work this season. There are no questions about whose team this is in Oxford.

This time in 2015 Kelly wasn't even the announced starter, but now he's the face and the one who keeps focus for the other 104 players in camp.

"He’s become a great leader," Pellerin said of his teammate. "We went from not having a leader to throughout the season he stepped up tremendously and has led this team. He led this team to the Sugar Bowl and broke records.

"It’s ridiculous and you can’t not follow a guy like that. You respect his pride and love for the game. He’s leading us to great things, and it’s going to trickle down to when he’s gone, too. He deserves everything he has coming to him."