Just over two years ago, Ole Miss signed Utah native and former USC freshman quarterback Jaxson Dart, who was seeking for a new home only one season into his collegiate career.
Lane Kiffin had to adjust for the departure of his former star quarterback Matt Corral, with the goal of improving the position unit once the 2021 season finished. In their 21-7 Sugar Bowl loss to Baylor, Ole Miss had to start a true freshman because their position unit was lacking depth.
Lesson learned for Kiffin and the depth of the position unit hasn’t ever been a problem since Ole Miss’ acquisition of Dart. Though Dart had to go through two quarterback battles – one with a returnee and one with a new coming veteran – to be the unquestioned starter he is today for Ole Miss, he wouldn’t change his path and destination to Oxford for the ‘world’.
Dart further explained why while on stage with future Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Rebel Eli Manning, at a recent Grove Collective event.
“I’ve learned from when I first got here. Learned about trailblazers like Eli, like his dad. It’s a great honor to kind of follow in their footsteps…I think him coming back and seeing the support he has around here, just shows how special Ole Miss, Oxford, the community and the program is. When you can make an impact, that lives forever.”
In two seasons at Ole Miss, Dart has 6,338 passing yards (7,691 in career), 43 touchdown passes (52 in career), and 16 interceptions (21 in career), while completing 63.75 percent of his passes. Dart has 1,005 rushing yards (247 carries) and nine touchdowns since joining the Rebels in 2022.
