A Unique Idea to Get John Rhys Plumlee on the Football Field
John Rhys Plumlee has been a non-factor thus far in 2020.
The 2019 Freshman All-American has seen the field as a running back, a receiver and his natural quarterback position this year, after losing the quarterback competition to Matt Corral. But his role in the offense has been wildly limited.
Through three games, Plumlee has attempted only two passes and has 10 carries for 20 yards. Plumlee is unquestionably one of the best pure athletes on the Ole Miss campus, but he can't seem to find a role in this offense that is flying up and down the field without him.
So this all begs one question – how could Lane Kiffin and Co. get Plumlee on the field? .... what if they try him on defense?
The Ole Miss defense has been terrible. They're literally on pace to break the FBS record for yards allowed per game in a season. There's literally no reason to not try Plumlee out in the secondary, and there is even a bit of precedent for it.
Primarily a dual-threat quarterback recruit out of Oak Grove High School, some programs wanted Plumlee to play defensive back at the next level. He did play some safety in high school, where he recorded 15 tackles and one interception as a senior in high school.
Now, this is all wildly theoretical. As great of an athlete as Plumlee is, he hasn't played defensive back in two years. Is he actually better than the defensive backs Ole Miss is playing on the back end? I doubt it.
But there's the rationale: why the hell not? The Ole Miss defense has been so, so abominably bad that there is literally no reason to not try it out. Matt Corral has been fantastic at quarterback and the only reason he will be surrendering that job any time in the next two years is due to injury.
It's time to start experimenting with Plumlee – there's no reason to not.
More From The Grove Report:
Is It Possible to Fix the Ole Miss Defense This Year? "I Hope So"
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