OXFORD — As the Ole Miss Rebels concluded practice with a walkthrough, most of their recent quarterback history was on display.

Under center with the first teamers, the present QB Seth Adams pretended to take snaps. As Adams barked out signals, former quarterback Robert Lane went in motion behind him from the tight end spot.

In the second group, backup Michael Herrick mimicked Adams at the quarterback spot, seemingly pushing the starter down the field. Bruce Hall, a running back who started one game at QB last season, lined up behind Herrick.

With the third-stringers, last year’s starter Brent Schaeffer lined up at receiver and took a few half-hearted steps on each simulated snap.

And, somewhere, Jevan Snead watched it all as he waited his turn to take over the offense next season.

For right now — with an emphasis on now — the starting quarterback job still belongs to Adams. When he lined up under center for the season opener against Memphis on Saturday, he became the sixth player to start a game at quarterback for Ole Miss since 2004.

The list of failed QBs at Ole Miss includes top high school players, highly touted transfers, benchwarmers, guys who never really reached their potential and one curiosity. From Micheal Spurlock to Schaeffer to Hall, it’s a catalogue of failed experiments that shows not only how hard it is to gauge talent, but also how hard it is to follow a legend.

“Over 28 years of coaching quarterbacks, one thing I’ve learned is you can never watch a guy in high school and say he’s going to be the guy. He’s got to learn the scheme, adjust to the college game, learn to play with his teammates,” Ole Miss offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Dan Werner said. “Every year when I go recruiting, there’s 10 guys that are in the top 10 in the country. Out of those, maybe two or three are really good.”

One of the few who were really, really good was Eli Manning. He started for three seasons at Ole Miss, set nearly every major passing record, and went down in history as the first Rebel selected first overall in the NFL draft.

While any quarterback would have a tough time matching those marks, the ones that have followed Manning at Ole Miss have struggled just to hang onto their job.

None of the opening-day starters the last three seasons have started every game. From Spurlock to Hall, the position has been a revolving door in Oxford.

“It’s a tough league, and there’s definitely some shoes to fill,” Adams said. “Quarterback is a tough position. But with hard work and persistence, it can be done.”

Lane agreed. A highly touted recruit out of Neville High School in Monroe, La., in 2004, Lane was supposed to be the next great Rebel quarterback.

After playing in 15 games his first two seasons, barely completing 50 percent of his passes and throwing only one touchdown pass, Lane was moved to fullback and then tight end. He’s turned into a solid player, but hardly the savior Ole Miss fans hoped for.

“It’s very tough, and it’s something you just don’t go out there the first day and do well,” Lane said. “At this level, you have to go out every day and work hard.”

Lane’s story has a happy ending, at least. Moving to tight end suits the 6-foot-3, 240-pounder well. Head coach Ed Orgeron praised Lane’s selflessness and said he plans to get the ball to him a lot this season.

That’s more than can be said for Schaeffer.

Another top recruit, Schaeffer has followed an erratic path through his college career. The high school All-American played seven games at Tennessee in 2004, starting three — including a win over UNLV in which he became the first true freshman to start a season opener for an SEC team since 1945.

He then fell out of favor, transferred to the College of the Sequoias in California, and was recruited by Orgeron to Ole Miss before the 2006 season.

Orgeron dubbed him the starter before he set foot on campus — an arrival that was delayed by academic issues. He still started every game until the season finale against Mississippi State, when he was replaced by converted running back Bruce Hall.

Schaeffer, along with Adams, did get some snaps in the 20-17 win over State. Schaeffer completed 9 of 19 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, giving him 1,442 yards and nine TDs and 10 interceptions for the season.

By the start of this season, Schaeffer slipped out of the quarterback picture altogether. He was moved to wide receiver for a couple of days before asking to be switched back to quarterback. Orgeron complied, but buried Schaeffer with the third string.

“Brent had the shot given to him. That was a mistake. I’ve said that before,” Orgeron said. “His conditioning level was nowhere near where he needed to be.”

Next season, another transfer is expected to take over. That would be Snead, who is coming to the Rebels after one year at Texas and has to sit out a season under the NCAA’s transfer rules.

Until then, it seems to be Adams’ job to hold down the fort. It’s a dream that’s been a long time coming for the former Hinds Community College star. Adams grew up rooting for Ole Miss, and took nearly as long a path to Oxford as Schaeffer.

A native of Holly Springs, Adams played two seasons at Delta State, transferred to Hinds for one year, then turned down a scholarship offer from Western Carolina to walk on at Ole Miss in 2006. He helped Ole Miss past Memphis on Saturday, 23-21.

Schaeffer’s fall from grace opened the door for Adams to start, and Herrick pushed him for the job during training camp. Adams finally won out, though, and will get a chance to fulfill a childhood dream in his senior season in Oxford.

“It’s a dream come true,” Adams said. “To play here and play with these guys, and represent Ole Miss is a dream. I wanted to come here out of high school real bad but it just didn’t work out. This is where I’ve always wanted to be.”