Chad Kelly doesn’t like to talk about his past.
From his self-promoting rap song to his dismissal from Clemson to his arrest in his hometown of Buffalo, New York just days after he committed to Ole Miss, it’s fair to say that Kelly has been through a lot.
Kelly gets asked about his troubled past all of the time. He always gives a similar response:
“It was just an off-the-field thing,” or, “I made mistakes.”
That was a different Chad Kelly.
The persona Kelly created for himself after making a rap song his senior year of high school no longer exists.
“Swag” Kelly is no more.
The decisions Kelly made in the past have helped mold him into a new, better and more confident person, and not just on the field.
This is the new Chad Kelly.
“I just have to look at the big picture,” Kelly said. “My goal one day is to get to the NFL and be a franchise quarterback of an NFL football team. There’s a lot of stuff that comes with that, and here at Ole Miss and you have to be on your P’s and Q’s at all times. You have to know everyone is looking up to you.”
Kelly always had the talent to play Division 1 college football. He originally committed to Clemson in 2012, but was kicked off the team in 2014 due to conduct detrimental to the team.
Kelly was often referred to as a hothead who had arguments with the coaching staff. That reputation had cost him his chance to be a starting quarterback for a major college football program — or so he thought.
Kelly got a second chance at East Mississippi Community College where he started all 12 games and threw for 3,906 yards with 47 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The ending was even sweeter, as he led East Mississippi to the NJCAA national title.
“That was a lot of fun,” Kelly said. “I’m glad I got that second chance.”
Kelly’s time at East Mississippi gave him the perspective of football talent within the state, which he said helped him prepare for playing at Ole Miss.
“The junior college level is nothing to play with,” Kelly said. “The amount of talent that is in Mississippi junior colleges is very good. Some of them eventually play in the SEC.”
The exposure in Mississippi certainly helped give Kelly the chance to play in the Southeastern Conference for the state’s flagship university.
Growing up in New York, the thought of playing football in Mississippi never crossed his mind, but Kelly is thankful to play the game he loves in this state.
“I’ve been in the state of Mississippi for over a year now. This state is home to me,” Kelly said. “My parents and family are back in New York, but this state is family. I love it here, and I would love to spend the rest of my life here if I could. The people are amazing, and I love the different culture of it.”
Kelly laughed as he said people don’t hold the door as often up north as they do in Mississippi.
Being a starting quarterback for an SEC school comes with responsibilities and leadership obligations, and head coach Hugh Freeze wanted Kelly to show those qualities on the team’s mission trip to Haiti in the spring.
“I think the responsibility that comes with the quarterback position never stops. It is 24 hours a day,” Freeze said before the trip back in March. “He knows that. I share with him every single day insight that I see how he can improve in that regard. There is no question that in that position, what you do off the field certainly matters.”
That mission trip seems to have had a drastic impact on the way Kelly has handled himself.
Kelly is more humble and tame than he’s ever been. He doesn’t walk around with the “Swag” persona that brought him to Clemson. Kelly has a calm demeanor off the field, but on the field, he’s the leader of the offense, and it shows in his play
What really showed his new-found confidence was the “tip-six” play against Alabama in September.
You’ve all seen the play by now. The high snap from Robert Conyers forces Kelly to run back to retrieve it. Kelly catches the snap and with two Alabama defenders in his face, he throws a prayer towards Laquon Treadwell. The ball hangs in the air for what seems like hours, and the ball is tipped by Treadwell into the hands of Quincy Adeboyejo, who races 66 yards for the touchdown.
Kelly dedicated the play and the win over Alabama to his grandmother, who died after a battle with cancer on the day Kelly left for Haiti.
“I have to give all of the glory to God. My grandmother was looking over me today and this was for her,” Kelly said after the Alabama victory. “I’m just so thankful to play for a great team, great coaches and players. This is what you dream about.”
The magical season may be taking a turn for Kelly and the Rebels. After the victory over Alabama, Ole Miss struggled in their 27-16 win over Vanderbilt then followed it up with a 38-10 loss on the road at Florida. The offense has slowed down in the past two weeks, and Kelly took the blame for the offense’s struggles.
That’s the new Chad Kelly. Taking responsibility, handling it as a leader and building off of experience going into the future.
“It starts with me. I’m the quarterback and the leader of this team and I have to make sure all of our guys are on the same page,” Kelly said after the loss to Florida. “We have to get better and practice harder and it all starts with myself.”
