Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin did a great job of adding depth to the quarterback position during this off season. With backup QB Luke Altmyer going to the University of Illinois and third string QB Kinkhead Dent hitting the transfer portal, it left a very big question mark surrounding the QB room at Ole Miss.
Coach Kiffin immediately hit the portal, bringing in LSU’s Walker Howard and Oklahoma State’s Spencer Sanders. Both of these additions garnered a huge amount of media attention, as both QBs were widely pursued by multiple other Power Five schools.
Sanders is a do-it-all type of player; as he can run and throw with the best of the best in college football. As a senior, Sanders is a very vocal player and can easily lead this relatively young Ole Miss team.
Last year, Sanders led the Oklahoma State Cowboys to a Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame. During the 2022-23 season, he threw for over 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns, even though he missed three games during the regular season.
Sanders can add explosiveness to the high-powered Ole Miss offense due to his ability to run downhill. His ability to escape out of the pocket could work exceptionally well for the offense that Kiffin likes to run at Ole Miss.
Kiffin knew he wanted more talent at the QB position, so he signed Howard as well. Howard stands at 6 feet 1 inches tall and is the perfect build for a college quarterback.
Howard was the 42nd ranked prospect in the 2022 class. He is a great runner, which is perfect for the scheme and style that Ole Miss runs.
He attended St. Thomas More in Louisiana and led them to back-to-back state titles in 2019 and 2020. He comes to Ole Miss with four years of eligibility remaining and looks to potentially be the Rebels’ future QB.
Jaxson Dart, who won the starting job in 2022, showed many flashes of being this team’s future QB, as he played well against teams like Texas A&M and rival Mississippi State. It will take a lot to dethrone him.
This will certainly be an interesting QB battle to keep an eye on.
Will Kiffin roll with Dart, or will Sanders or Howard take the starting role from him this upcoming 2023-24 season?
