Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia, according to the Clarion-Ledger and other media outlest.
The recovery time is expected to keep Kelly out for the rest of the spring practice, but the surgery should not impact his availability for fall camp or the team's season opener against Florida State on Sept. 5 in Orlando.
The Rebels have just two scholarship quarterbacks for the rest of spring practice -- redshirt freshman Jason Pellerin and early enrollee five-star Shea Patterson -- along with Drew Davis, the redshirt senior walk-on and son of Butch Davis. But since Ole Miss will not be holding a spring game this year due to stadium construction, depth issues at the quarterback position are not a primary concern for the Rebels.
If anything, Kelly's absence gives Pellerin and Patterson more reps for the final week of workouts. Both players have been sharing second-team snaps behind Kelly, the SEC's leading returning passer, and now get even more experience and attention from the coaches before the end of spring practice.
Kelly led the Rebels to a 10-win season and a Sugar Bowl victory in 2015, one of the most successful campaigns in program history. He completed 65.1 percent of passes for 4,042 yards with 31 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
