The New England Patriots have acquired former Carolina Panthers quarterback Matt Corral, According to a source who spoke to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. With this change, New England now has one more backup quarterback to their primary quarterback, Mac Jones, on the 53-man roster. He adds to the list of backup quarterbacks with Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham.

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Corral was born on January 31st, 1999 in Ventura, California. He attended Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, California, before getting transferred to Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California. Corral did over 11,000 yards, with 123 touchdowns in his high-school career, and also participated in the 2018 US Army All-American Bowl. These performances meant that there was a queue for his services come time for college, and he originally committed to the University of Southern California, then the University of Florida before eventually settling on the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss).

During his 2018 freshman year playing for the Ole Miss Rebels, Matt played in 4 games as the backup for Jordan Ta’amu, where he completed 16 of 22 passes for 239 yards making two touchdowns and one interception. He was redshirted eventually on account of his limited action.

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However, in 2019 he was named the starting quarterback for the Rebels in a season where he led them to a 4-8 record completing 105 out of 178 passes for 1,362 passing yards, as well as 6 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Corral took his performances to newer heights in the pandemic affected 2020 season. He started every game and ended the season passing for 3,337 yards with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He further took the Rebels to the 2021 Outback Bowl where the Rebels defeated the Indiana Hoosiers. Corral was named the MVP for the game.

In what would be his final season playing for the Rebels, Corral led his team to a 10–2 record, and an appearance at the 2022 Sugar Bowl. He finished the season with 258 completions of 378 attempts for 3,333 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions, although his season ended in disappointment- leaving the field after suffering a leg injury in the 1st quarter of the Sugar Bowl.

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Corral is regarded as a pure quarterback possessing a quick, consistent release and throwing motions, an abundance of confidence and the will to compete hard. His decision making in particular is top-notch as he has learned to play a mature and controlled game without losing his head. However, his below-average height and build will leave him vulnerable to injury in the NFL and so he needs to continuously progress on working from the pocket and add more dimensions to his playing style to ensure longevity.