Jaxson Dart expected to have 'monster season' at Ole Miss by betting analyst

Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart ended the 2023 season on a high note, passing for nearly 400 yards and accounting for four touchdowns in a Peach Bowl victory over Penn State. ESPN gambling analyst Stanford Steve expects Dart to carry that momentum over into the 2024 season and believes that he is a potential Heisman candidate heading into the year.

“I look at Jaxson Dart at Ole Miss. I go back to the last time we saw him – 38 points, almost 500 yards of offense against Penn State,” Stanford Steve said on SportsCenter Saturday morning, adding that he also loves the talent Ole Miss has around Dart.

Lane Kiffin brought in several highly-rated transfers this offseason, including Juice Wells out of South Carolina. Stanford Steve believes the Rebels have surrounded Dart with excellent playmakers.

“The portal king Lane Kiffin, in the three years in the transfer cycle, he’s brought in 26 four or five-star guys to that roster,” Steve said. “I love the situation for Jaxson Dart.”

He added that he also likes how the schedule is set up. The Rebels avoid Texas, Alabama and Missouri, while getting Oklahoma and Georgia at home.

“I like how the schedule lines up. Last year when you go back and look at it, five times he came back from a deficit in the second half. And now when you look at this team, they’re better than they were last year,” Steve said. “He’s better. The situation’s better. I think Jaxson Dart has a monster season in Oxford.”

Dart signed with USC as a four-star prospect and the No. 42 overall player in the country in the class of 2021, per the On3 Industry rankings. As a true freshman at USC he appeared in six games, making three starts, before transferring to Ole Miss.

Dart came in and was immediately the starter for the Rebels, starting 12 of 13 games his first season in Oxford. He threw for 2,974 yards and 20 touchdowns that season, while also rushing for 614 yards.

While Dart’s first season at Ole Miss was solid, he really broke out last year, leading the Rebels to 11 wins. He threw for 3,364 yards, 23 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He also added 389 yards and eight scores on the ground.

Dart was named a Davey O’Brien Award Semifinalist last season and now appears ready for an even bigger year in 2024, including being in Heisman contention. At least one analyst believes he’s a strong bet to win the award. Dart is currently tied for the fourth-best odds at 14-1 to win the Heisman, per FanDuel.