Nice Article on Jevan Snead from Commercial Appeal
Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 7:45 am
OXFORD, Miss. -- Jevan Snead has found his voice.
A celebrity since he arrived on campus nearly two years ago, Snead has often spoken about how he felt as if he had to earn his teammates' respect. He showed up with a reputation, nothing more.
Jevan Snead may have transferred from a football powerhouse, but you wouldn't know it by his demeanor. The ex-Texas QB has worked hard to blend in.
And even as the long wait for him to throw an actual pass in an actual game heightened the suspense around town -- his No. 4 jersey became the most popular seller at Rebel Rags since Eli Manning's No. 10, according to owner Terry Warren -- Snead kept quiet.
He seemed so conscious of blending in with his teammates, of being the anti-star, and circumstances helped the process. Forced to sit out last season because of NCAA transfer rules, Snead directed the scout team and faded into the background.
But over the past four weeks, having gone from savior-in-waiting to starting quarterback, Snead has taken control. His confidence, according to teammates, has grown heading into Saturday's season opener against the University of Memphis at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
"Oh man, he's making reads so fast," senior wide receiver Mike Wallace said. "I really feel like he could lead us to a championship."
The Rebels have nowhere to go but up. Last season was an exercise in inefficiency, and some of the problems were the result, without question, of inconsistent play at quarterback. Ole Miss ranked last in the Southeastern Conference in scoring offense (20.1 points per game) and ninth in total offense (345.2 ypg).
Do the math, and the Rebels went 0-8 in the league, 3-9 overall. And the coach who had persuaded Snead to transfer to Ole Miss from Texas was relieved of his duties. Snead, after sitting out the season, had no idea what to expect when Nutt was hired to replace Ed Orgeron. Snead was well aware of Nutt's reliance on the ground game at Arkansas, and this caused immediate concern.
But through closed-door meetings, Snead grew more comfortable with the situation. Nutt, in essence, assured him that he would throw the ball plenty. And the relationship between Snead and offensive coordinator Kent Austin has, by all accounts, flourished.
"I think our attitude here has definitely changed," said Snead, a sophomore, "and I think that's one of the big things that was hurting us. Because as far as talent, I think we have great talent. I think we can definitely hold our own against anybody in the nation. It's just about attitude and work ethic."
Asked what he does during his downtime, Snead said: "Sleep." But there has been little time off. The past few months -- and the past few weeks, in particular -- have resembled one big cram session with Austin, whose methodical and academic approach to the game required some adjustment. Snead took constant notes during film sessions so he could study them at home.
"I try to know my stuff," Snead said, "because if I don't know where I'm going, that's definitely not a good thing."
Snead said he has lots of confidence in his receivers -- maybe even too much.
"There's a lot of times when I'm like, 'Whoa, I don't know if I would've thrown that,'" receivers coach Ron Dickerson Jr. said. "But that's because Jevan has confidence that those guys are going to come down with the ball and make something happen."
Snead seems almost shy in front of reporters, though teammates said he has no problem being vocal in the huddle. Dickerson has encouraged Snead to bark at his receivers whenever they mess up.
"When we drop a ball, Jevan gets on them," Dickerson said.
Austin rattled off Snead's checklist for Saturday's game: Manage the clock. Control the huddle. Set the tempo. Be accurate. Snead, Austin said, has the tendency to get a little too amped up before games, and he will need to control his emotions. Easier said than done, of course.
Snead said he expects plenty of family to make the trip from Stephenville, Texas -- mom, dad, little brother, older sister, aunt, niece, nephew -- and about 60,000 fans will be curious about more than just the humongous new scoreboard.
"Listen, I'd rather dial a guy down than have to dial him up any day of the week," Austin said. "He just needs to play the way he knows how to play, and not push. If he does that, he'll have a lot of success."
A celebrity since he arrived on campus nearly two years ago, Snead has often spoken about how he felt as if he had to earn his teammates' respect. He showed up with a reputation, nothing more.
Jevan Snead may have transferred from a football powerhouse, but you wouldn't know it by his demeanor. The ex-Texas QB has worked hard to blend in.
And even as the long wait for him to throw an actual pass in an actual game heightened the suspense around town -- his No. 4 jersey became the most popular seller at Rebel Rags since Eli Manning's No. 10, according to owner Terry Warren -- Snead kept quiet.
He seemed so conscious of blending in with his teammates, of being the anti-star, and circumstances helped the process. Forced to sit out last season because of NCAA transfer rules, Snead directed the scout team and faded into the background.
But over the past four weeks, having gone from savior-in-waiting to starting quarterback, Snead has taken control. His confidence, according to teammates, has grown heading into Saturday's season opener against the University of Memphis at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
"Oh man, he's making reads so fast," senior wide receiver Mike Wallace said. "I really feel like he could lead us to a championship."
The Rebels have nowhere to go but up. Last season was an exercise in inefficiency, and some of the problems were the result, without question, of inconsistent play at quarterback. Ole Miss ranked last in the Southeastern Conference in scoring offense (20.1 points per game) and ninth in total offense (345.2 ypg).
Do the math, and the Rebels went 0-8 in the league, 3-9 overall. And the coach who had persuaded Snead to transfer to Ole Miss from Texas was relieved of his duties. Snead, after sitting out the season, had no idea what to expect when Nutt was hired to replace Ed Orgeron. Snead was well aware of Nutt's reliance on the ground game at Arkansas, and this caused immediate concern.
But through closed-door meetings, Snead grew more comfortable with the situation. Nutt, in essence, assured him that he would throw the ball plenty. And the relationship between Snead and offensive coordinator Kent Austin has, by all accounts, flourished.
"I think our attitude here has definitely changed," said Snead, a sophomore, "and I think that's one of the big things that was hurting us. Because as far as talent, I think we have great talent. I think we can definitely hold our own against anybody in the nation. It's just about attitude and work ethic."
Asked what he does during his downtime, Snead said: "Sleep." But there has been little time off. The past few months -- and the past few weeks, in particular -- have resembled one big cram session with Austin, whose methodical and academic approach to the game required some adjustment. Snead took constant notes during film sessions so he could study them at home.
"I try to know my stuff," Snead said, "because if I don't know where I'm going, that's definitely not a good thing."
Snead said he has lots of confidence in his receivers -- maybe even too much.
"There's a lot of times when I'm like, 'Whoa, I don't know if I would've thrown that,'" receivers coach Ron Dickerson Jr. said. "But that's because Jevan has confidence that those guys are going to come down with the ball and make something happen."
Snead seems almost shy in front of reporters, though teammates said he has no problem being vocal in the huddle. Dickerson has encouraged Snead to bark at his receivers whenever they mess up.
"When we drop a ball, Jevan gets on them," Dickerson said.
Austin rattled off Snead's checklist for Saturday's game: Manage the clock. Control the huddle. Set the tempo. Be accurate. Snead, Austin said, has the tendency to get a little too amped up before games, and he will need to control his emotions. Easier said than done, of course.
Snead said he expects plenty of family to make the trip from Stephenville, Texas -- mom, dad, little brother, older sister, aunt, niece, nephew -- and about 60,000 fans will be curious about more than just the humongous new scoreboard.
"Listen, I'd rather dial a guy down than have to dial him up any day of the week," Austin said. "He just needs to play the way he knows how to play, and not push. If he does that, he'll have a lot of success."