Ole Miss Rebels

Does Chad Kelly still have work to do at Ole Miss?

Published Jan. 5, 2016 7:55 p.m. ET

foxsports

Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly has had one of the more remarkable turnarounds over the last 12 months. After being released by Clemson, Kelly had to redeem himself at the junior college level before getting another shot with the Rebels. Shortly after announcing he would attend Ole Miss, Kelly once again found himself in trouble with the law following an incident in New York.

Upon his arrival to Oxford, Kelly already had two strikes against him and had to compete with a number of players for the starting quarterback role. Kelly didn't earn the starting job until a week before the opener against UT-Martin.

However, once Kelly earned the job, he never looked back. The junior finished the season with 41 total touchdowns and over 4,500 yards of total offense and led the Rebels to a 48-20 Sugar Bowl win over Oklahoma State. Bruce Feldman named Kelly as one of 10 most eye-opening performances of the bowl season.

Now Kelly faces a dilemma, should he leave school early for the NFL Draft or return for his senior season? Has Kelly redeemed himself enough to be considered a top prospect? Has he matured enough to be successful on his own?

“I feel like I have been able to rewrite my story to some extent,” Kelly said recently. “But I feel like there is a lot of work to be done.”

The deadline to declare for the 2016 NFL Draft is Jan. 19. Kelly has until then to decide if he needs another season in Oxford to shed any preconceived notions his past may carry with him. Of course there's a SEC Championship to chase as well should he return for one last college season.