Ole Miss’ starting quarterback Jaxson Dart has been recovering from an offseason cleanup surgery on his (left) lower body. This is not unusual for a dual-threat quarterback and has not prevented him from practicing. “Jaxson threw seven-on-seven and some routes on air. He did have an offseason procedure and he’s very limited moving-wise,” Lane Kiffin previously explained at the start of the spring.
“It is good that he can still — it’s a lower body issue— so he can still throw and (do) the seven-on-sevens. I think he’ll continue to get back.”
All spring Dart has been doing exactly what Kiffin said he was doing at the start.
How does Dart feel his offseason procedure is recovering up to this point?
“I feel pretty close to 100 (percent),” Dart added. “I think it’s going to be a good period to have this May off to get the extra work that I need and kind of get back to the fundamentals of your game. I’m really excited to be back and doing that.
It’s been said over and over and over again, but can’t be overstated…spring ’24 for the Rebels was about staying as healthy as possible, while incorporating different schemes and new coaches as well as players.
No doubt about it, the program’s lighter spring approach has allowed Dart to stay sharp in the midst of his recovery.
Why? No one wants to ‘rush’ him back.
“I thought the training staff has done a great job with me. They had an appropriate and detailed plan which I thought put me in a better situation come season time. A lot of times you’ll try to rush guys back when they’re not ready and that can lead to other injuries,” Dart pointed out. “I thought the plan they created for me was great. I’m really excited for this summer (and) I’m really excited for this little break that we have coming up and being back 100%.”
On his way to leading the Rebels to their first 11-win season ever, Dart enjoyed a career year in 2023, totaling 3,755 yards to go with 31 touchdowns (23 passing) while completing over 65 percent of his passes (career-high). Ole Miss’ third-year quarterback cut down on the turnovers last year and instead created a habit of coming through in the closing stages of tight wins. Those battled-tested wins experienced in 2023 may come in handy for Dart during nail-biters in 2024.
