Jaxson Dart to start for Ole Miss at quarterback
Lane Kiffin will start Jaxson Dart as Ole Miss’ starting quarterback in Week 1.
The decision came on Friday before the Rebels open up the 2023 season against Mercer. Dart, the returning starter from 2022, is looking to take a big step in year two of Kiffin’s system and a newly-found confidence.
Consensus All-American running back Quinshon Judkins spoke to this confidence earlier this week when talking about the former four-star prospect from Draper, Utah.
“He’s older, more mature,” Judkins said. “He knows a lot more about the offense and the defenses that we face. He’ll be ready to face anybody.
As a member of the Class of 2021, Dart was a four-star recruit out of Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average which utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 2 overall prospect in the state, the No. 7 quarterback in the class and the No. 42 overall prospect in the class when he committed to USC.
Then, coming out of the portal, Dart was ranked as the 10th-ranked recruit in the 2022 class. He was the No. 4 quarterback in the portal class behind Caleb Williams, Quinn Ewers and Spencer Rattler.
After coming in to replace Kedon Slovis at Southern Cal in 2021, Jaxson Dart got a full season under his belt in 2022.
The Ole Miss signal caller was a fast-rising prospect out of Corner Canyon (Utah), winning the 2020 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year and 2020 MaxPreps National Player of the Year. Dart threw for 4,691 yards and a state-record 67 touchdowns as a senior while adding 1,195 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground.
He was thrust into a starting role in Los Angeles and threw for 1,353 yards and nine touchdowns in six games. Then, after transferring, Dart got off to a fast start in Oxford with Kiffin. In 2022, he completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,974 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Jaxson Dart is the starter officially now. But I still expect Spencer Sanders to play a lot. Here’s why.
The transfer from Oklahoma State has played a ton of football. He was named Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2019 and was a first team All-Big 12 selection in 2021. But he still turned the football over 49(!) times in 42 career games with the Cowboys. But I still think Kiffin and Ole Miss added him to the roster for a reason.
Me thinks you will see a lot of packages for Sanders in short yardage and hurry-up situations. Kiffin loves to attack after a big play, keeping the defenses on its heels. He could be a player who comes in and runs the power zone read game to keep the big shots off Jaxson Dart’s shoulders, legs, head, etc.
During his career in Stillwater, he ran for 1,956 yards and 18 touchdowns. I can definitely see Ole Miss utilizing him to not only take the hits off Dart, but also giving Judkins a breather. And I anticipate him absolutely being a weapon in the red zone with his ability to be physical while still making defenses honor the pass.
