Where is the Ole Miss quarterback race after two fall scrimmages?
Ole Miss football held its second scrimmage of fall camp — the first closed to fans and the media — on Saturday and on Monday there was one question for head coach Lane Kiffin.
Where does the competition to be the next Ole Miss signal caller stand?
For those who watched the open scrimmage on Aug. 13 inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, it may seem like one pulled ahead of the other between Jaxson Dart, Luke Altmyer and Kinkead Dent, maybe?
On the outside looking in that may be the general consensus that a decision has been made for who will be under center come Sept. 3.
Internally, if a decision has been made, Kiffin is keeping it close to the vest. Moreso the third-year coach is presenting a competition that is still anybody’s to win.
“I know it sounds the same. They’re very close,” Kiffin said following Monday’s practice. “I feel like everyday you can go out there say one and the next day say the other. So, it’s going to be a tough call. Which is a good thing.”
Related: Fall Camp Insider: Tying up loose ends as fall camp progresses for Ole Miss football
The comments may come across as coach speak but the Ole Miss coach may truly believe he cannot make a clear call at the moment.
Or, Kiffin is continue with the coy tactics and could announce a starter next week as game preparations kick in for the season opener against Troy.
A timeline is one thing that Kiffin has publicly state he did not have set in stone when it came to making that decision. But in the same breath he has stated all fall camp that going into the the season without a clear starter is not an ideal approach.
Of course, it is more likely than not that he and quarterbacks coach Charlie Weis, Jr. have discussed a hard date for when they need to pick their man.
“I facetime with (Kiffin’s son) Knox everyday and he asks me about quarterbacks,” Kiffin said. “He says, ‘I know you really know (who the starter is) so just tell me.’ I really don’t know.
“Again, you can be frustrated or you can be glass half empty, glass half full. Where you can say, ‘You know what, if there was a big difference then probably the one on ones aren’t doing very well. So, I looked at it as both are doing well and creating a hard situation, which is a good thing to have.”
The quarterbacks have looked good at different times in camp, feeding into the possible dilemma Kiffin is facing.
There is another week of preseason practices before Ole Miss shifts into regular season and game week mode. It provides a little more time for one of the quarterbacks to pull ahead and stay ahead.
The next week or so could also provide the time for Kiffin to come to terms with the idea of entering the season with a co-starter mentality at quarterback.
But do not expect to see Dart, Altmyer or even Dent trading off and rotating series against Troy.
“No, not yet. We still got a ways to go and we’ll cross that bridge if it happens,” Kiffin said.
Related: Fall Camp Insider: A close, if imperfect, Ole Miss football offensive depth chart
