There are a lot of eyes glued to Saturday’s showdown between Liberty and Ole Miss. And it’s not because of Liberty’s head coach Hugh Freeze making his return to Ole Miss.
As many as 16 NFL teams have representation at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to watch the two quarterbacks playing, Liberty’s Malik Willis and Ole Miss’s Matt Corral. The list of teams include the Washington Football Team, according to ESPN’s Jordan Reid.
General Manager Martin Mayhew is among those representing Washington, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post.
Corral and Willis are both in line to be the first two quarterbacks taken in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Corral, 22, stands at 6-foot-2 and has been one of the frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy this season. Entering Saturday’s game, he has thrown for 2,202 yards and 15 touchdowns against two interceptions in eight games. He has added 519 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns as a dual-threat.
Ole Miss is 6-2 ovreall and 3-2 in the SEC. The Rebels are 16th in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Willis, 22, is a 6-foot-1 dual-threat much like Corral. Willis transferred to Liberty in 2020 from Auburn. In nine games this season, Willis has thrown for 1,986 yards and 21 touchdowns against six interceptions.
He’s rushed for 684 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. Liberty is 7-2 overall.
Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler and UNC’s Sam Howell have fallen down the draft boards and mocks of many draft analysts. Meanwhile, Willis and Corral have soared to the top.
Washington’s interest is intriguing. With a 2-6 record through the first eight weeks of the season, Washington is currently slated for the fifth overall pick in next year’s draft. A prime position to land a quarterback of the future. As it stands, Willis and Corral may be at top of the list of consideration of selections.
