Ole Miss has lost another quarterback.

Rising redshirt junior Ryan Buchanan has decided to give up football, according to the Ole Miss Spirit. Buchanan signed with the Rebels in 2013 out of Jackson Prep.

Buchanan has spent the last two seasons backing up Bo Wallace and Chad Kelly after redshirting his first year on campus. Buchanan and Kelly were locked in what head coach Hugh Freeze repeatedly called a tight competition to replace Wallace after the 2014 season until Freeze publicly named Kelly the starter early into this past season.

Kelly led the Southeastern Conference in passing (4,042 yards) and total touchdowns (41) while racking up 4,542 total yards, the third-highest individual total in league history, on his way to second-team All-SEC honors. The Rebels also have Jason Pellerin, who redshirted last season, on the roster and signed the nation’s top-ranked high school signal caller Wednesday in IMG Academy quarterback Shea Patterson.

Buchanan told Chuck Rounsaville of the Spirit he contemplated a transfer but couldn’t see himself playing anywhere else.

“The reason I got up at 5:30 a.m. four days a week for three years was to play football at Ole Miss,” Buchanan told the Spirit. “I would not take that kind of dedication with me anywhere else.

“I came to the conclusion a few months ago that football would not be my future and it was time to start applying myself 100 percent to my future. It’s time for me to find my passion beyond football.”

Buchanan is the second quarterback to leave the program since the season ended. DeVante Kincade transferred to Grambling.

Buchanan played in all 13 games this past season, completing eight of his 13 passes for 96 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and finished his career with 171 passing yards.