It's time for The Mailbag, presented by The Westin Jackson, where I ask for your questions here and on Twitter. I asked. You delivered. So here we go...
From Rebels810:Â With the commitment of Ashford, do you think either Plumlee or the coaching staff try to go ahead and make the move to DB? Or with the current lack of QB depth, do they keep him there in case of an injury to Corral?
No. He's going to get a look at quarterback. The day might come where he switches positions or focuses on baseball or whatnot, but that day is most certainly not now. Ole Miss is doing the smart thing at quarterback. It's stacking the position annually. The plan is to recruit one every year. They're still recruiting Jimmy Holliday, so they could add another this year. Depth is paramount to success, and for now, Plumlee is part of that depth. Heck, some insiders believe he's got a real chance to see significant playing time this year. So in short, no, now is not the time to move him to defense.
From North Tampa Rebel:Â With former players being welcomed back to the Manning Center/IPF during the off-season, what is the protocol for those guys they may not want around? For example, if Greg Hardy wanted to come workout in the offseason, would they tell him to get lost? What about someone like Robert Nkemdiche who has gotten in trouble, but hasn't really hurt anyone. I would assume Chad Kelly could come back, even though his issues may be similar to Robert?
Hardy's situation is, as you noted, different from the others you mentioned. I would think Greg's returning would be problematic. I would assume the others would be welcomed back with open arms.
From $WithARebelYell$:Â If Matt Luke could have any player on his recruiting board who would it be?
I'd think he'd say McKinnley Jackson or J.J. Pegues. Both are in-state kids, high-impact players, etc. For a number of reasons, their signings would be significant for the direction of his program.
From $WithARebelYell$:Â Who do you think is the democratic nominee when its all said and done?
It's a weird field, and that's being kind. I'd guess it's Joe Biden, though the establishment/machine/media isn't doing him any favors.
From Fat Cat Rebel: Neal-I know you’re not a fan...but, you’ve been around this program (in Oxford) for 10+ years. You’ve seen multiple recruiting strategies. You’ve seen multiple support staff configurations. Do you think this ole miss program is evolving into a powerhouse?
I'm not ready to use a word as strong as powerhouse just yet. I think the current program is developing a solid foundation. I think it has a strong plan and it's sticking to that plan. I think it has real potential to do big things, but it's too early to call it a powerhouse.
From MarvMerchants: No financial info obviously, but how did you and Mr. Berry come into talks regarding the gap in crootin’ coverage and his subsequent filling of that hole (phrasing)
Oh, I don't know if it's necessary to get into all of that. We had mutual interest. I would argue, by the way, there's been no gap in recruiting coverage. If anything, frankly, in the last month, our recruiting coverage has improved. I went to every day of camp and I've written a lot of recruiting since May 31. I think I'm a decent writer and a solid reporter. You might not get fire emojis and googly eyes, but if you've used this site for recruiting information, you know what's going on.
Zach will do a great job of enhancing our coverage and he'll give the Soft Verbal Podcast some consistency and personality. We're pleased to have him with us.
From Louisiana Rebel:Â Please talk about your opinion on how Luke is running this program so far. It seems much more organized to me. Also, do you think RR and MM will stick around long to make a huge difference?
Luke is very organized. He hires good people and lets them work.
As for the futures of Rodriguez and MacIntyre, I simply don't know. No one does -- other than the football gods.
From PTRebs: Give us your short list for top celebrity crushes. Peloton chicks don’t count.
That's pretty easy. A short list would be. Kate Upton, Marisa Miller, Molly Sims, Scarlett Johansson and Margot Robbie.
From DeuceMccluster22:Â what was the first situation you observed of Freezes behavior or " methods" of motivation ( religious talks) that made u stop and raise an eyebrow?
Oh, I don't know. I thought the religious music at practice was weird. This isn't fair, but if I'm honest, people who constantly throw their faith in my face or who use faith as a constant talking point/crutch kind of creep me out. I think faith and spirituality is a very private thing. I know many disagree, and that's fine.
From Samminish:Â The Football GODS come down .. .. The rooms slowly fills with mist and conjures up the following scene ~~~Â After a 'wildly-successful' 6-6 season which saw OM defeat Hawaii-Hilo 67-0 in the Norm Chow Bowl, the owner of the TENNESSEE TITANS offers Luke the OC position along with a 150% pay raise and 5-year guaranteed contract .. .. What happens next???
As silly as your hypothetical is, Luke would stay at Ole Miss.
From celinareb:Â The Bachelorette was way better with no recap. Who are your final 3 in the fantasy suite? Tyler C, Luke P, and Garrett are mine.
I'll guess Tyler, Peter and Jed, in some order, though I still think she wants to satiate the insane portion of her brain (and other parts) and sleep with. Luke P.
From Grovin1551:Â How many questioning/angry emails do you get per week over something you said/wrote?
It varies. I'll go weeks with none and then get 10 in a day. It's calmed down in recent months. Either I've become a softy or no one reads my stuff anymore. I mean, I already knew Houston Nutt didn't read my stuff. Maybe he was a trendsetter.
From nas5108:Â What are your projections on where the following NBA free agents sign?Kawhi LeonardKDKemba WalkerJimmy ButlerTobias HarrisKyrie Irving
Leonard -- Raptors
Durant -- Nets
Walker -- Celtics
Butler -- Clippers (?)
Harris -- Spurs (?)
Irving -- Nets
From nas5108:Â Do you think Rich Rod and Mac will both be back in 2020 as the coordinators?
I'd hedge this bet, but I'd bet yes.
From Cahamil:Â Is Luke and Company in line to sign a Top 10 Class if the right dominoes fall?
Top 10? That's doubtful. They could end up top 15. That said, I haven't studied the rankings. I'll ask Zach this question soon.
From mr troy:Â For the sake of the question, assume you are a police beat reporter. A top dollar new job offer has come in. You have your choice of cities. Which would be your choice.
I can't think of a worse job for me than police officer. The thought is so depressing. That's just not me at all. If I had to be one, and money wasn't an issue, give me someplace nice and laid back like Carmel, California.
From Rebels810: What is your favorite uniform for Ole Miss in football, basketball and baseball? Mine are:Football- Powder helmet, white jersey with red lettering and white pants with red stripes.Basketball: Those red jerseys are solid. Other than that, I don’t care too much for the rest.Baseball: Pinstripes with the blue hat and red bill. Powders are a close second.
I like the white on white road uniform in football, the white pinstripe uniform in baseball and the red hoops uniform. I like the powder blue baseball uniform and the powder blue basketball uniform grew on me.
From pcrebel:Â Neal,I did my first Super Sprint Triathlon this past weekend (1/3 mile swim, 8 mile bike ride, 2 mile run). With your marathon experience and Peloton high five count in your back pocket, would you ever consider doing a short triathlon for fun?
My swimming skills suck, but yeah, I'd try one. It would be fun. If I could ever get past my issues with my right foot (deep bone bruise), I'd do a marathon again. I'm getting my weight back down and am getting close to my goal there, but my foot refuses to cooperate.
I guess it's possible, but the lack of righteous indignation on the part of the national media makes me stubbornly reluctant to grant that possibility right now.
I'd be surprised but not shocked. And yes, that would win back most of the fan base. People love a winner.
Oh, probably the baseball trio not getting to Omaha is a bigger letdown for Ole Miss fans. I think, given the way the NCAA thing unfolded, realistic people could see the football trio's absence from a bowl game coming.
I don't know. It's hard to say until we see what the offense looks like. Here's the big one though: Corral can't throw a ton of interceptions. This team is going to have to be clean in the winnable games to become bowl eligible. Ole Miss is going to play a lot of close games, and those games are often decided on turnovers. Corral is going to have to keep his emotions in check and make good decisions in heated moments.
I'm guessing you're referring to enrollment numbers. If so, I'd guess we'll hear those numbers in August. As for coach security, I don't know that I'd go as far as you're going, but that said, I'm not sure how much power Keith Carter has or doesn't have.
The early portion of the schedule will tell us a lot. Butler at home, the tournament in Brooklyn, at Wichita State will all be strong hints regarding the potential of the Rebels.
Yes. In fact, we have a listener in Dubuque. We need to get him on the show.
I'll go with basketball. I think baseball takes a small step back and there are too many variables to predict the 2020 football season right now.
I loved the Lakers-Pelicans deal for New Orleans. That's a haul of picks and assets. I thought they might be involved on Al Horford, but it doesn't look like they are. I think they should take their time and build around Zion Williamson and Jrue Holliday. I'll be interested to see how Lonzo Ball does in New Orleans. He's got a chance to be an excellent play-making point guard.
1. Coaches are salesmen. They can talk their way through those issues.
2. That's a good question. I don't know.
I would argue you're being remarkably unkind to douche bags. By the way, have you ever had a St. Elmo shrimp cocktail? I'm hearing they're tasty.
That's Ben Craddock-level conspiracy thinking right there. To answer your question, no. I think A&M looked at the job he did at Ole Miss and extrapolated, thinking what he could do with their cult, er, program.
Ah, speaking of young Benjamin, I'd love to give you credit for the pointing picture trend, but some of your pals on Twitter.com are taking issue with your time references. I can say that your selfie and picture game is remarkably on point, pardon the pun, for a gentleman of your age and stature.
