Michael Trigg on Jaxson Dart: Once he gets comfortable, it's a wrap

The Ole Miss Rebels are working through a three-way battle for the starting quarterback role in 2022. Redshirt freshman Luke Altmyer, USC transfer Jaxson Dart and junior Kinkead Dent are all hoping to throw the first pass on Sept. 3. This week, tight end Michael Trigg discussed his former USC teammate Jaxson Dart but gave a coy response about how he believes all the candidates are doing.

“Honestly, once he’s like fully comfortable, I know it’s a wrap, I’m not really tripping on it honestly,” Trigg said of Dart. “All of our quarterbacks are good in my opinion… The best man will play.”

Dart started three games for the Trojans this past season, finishing with 1,353 yards passing, nine touchdowns and five interceptions. His best game came on Sept. 18 against Washington State, as he threw for a season-high 391 yards and four touchdowns.

Out of high school, Dart ranked as the No. 7 quarterback prospect in the nation and No. 45 overall. After opting to transfer from USC, he ranked as the No. 4 quarterback in the transfer portal according to On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings.

Kiffin addresses quarterback situation

Head coach Lane Kiffin met with the media after practice on Saturday. He provided an update on how the QB competition has been progressing throughout the first few days of camp.

Although he didn’t single out any one player, he praised the group as a whole for its improved accuracy during Saturday’s session.

“All of the guys are getting a lot of plays,” he said. “We run two fields as you guys know. Both fields are really important, especially in the fall because you’ve got better numbers. You’ve got some good players down there on the other field to throw to and look at. All three have done some good things and some bad things.

“I thought we were more accurate today. We have not been accurate on middle-to-deep throws and that was the emphasis of the day. They responded to that instead of overthrowing these long foul balls.”

Altmyer and Dart appear to be the frontrunners for the job, as they were the pair that started the Rebels’ spring game in April.

On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this report.