This year’s Grove Bowl was one to remember. In a back-and-forth scoring game, the Red team came from behind to win 53-52 in the final few seconds after a successful two-point conversion.
With the addition of some strong new players on the roster, the Rebels without a doubt will be strong competitors this season.
Ole Miss added two strong quarterbacks to the roster this year: senior Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders and freshman LSU transfer Walker Howard. With the skill and talent of returning quarterback Jaxson Dart, Howard and Sanders, head coach Lane Kiffin is left with a difficult decision to make about who will start this fall.
“The idea of the offseason is to improve that room, make it competitive while bringing guys in,” Kiffin said when asked to evaluate the quarterbacks.
After a disappointing end to the 2022 season – the Rebels lost four games in a row – Kiffin was impressed with the improvement and development of Dart.
“I’m really excited about Jaxson’s (Dart) improvement and development,” Kiffin said. “He played a little bit out west, and it’s a very different system that doesn’t really transfer to our system or to a lot of college football, so he was kind of starting over, and I was very pleased to have a lot of improvement.”
After executing overall good performances in this year’s Grove Bowl, the quarterback room is much more competitive.
Sanders is looking to help put the Rebels in the best position to win. Sanders led the Navy team after recording a 70% completion rate, throwing for 265 yards, three touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and one interception.
“You know iron sharpens iron, and we have a lot of talented quarterbacks,” Sanders said when asked how the quarterback room is looking after this spring game. Jaxson’s (Dart) a well-talented quarterback, Walker’s (Howard) a well-talented quarterback and kind of competing with these guys going head to head with them every day only makes me better.”
Sanders went on to say, “Watching them do things every day, you know, I learn from them. I’ve been in this game for a minute but there’s always something to learn.”
After playing behind LSU star quarterback Jayden Daniels, Howard is ready to start a new chapter of football playing for the Rebels. Howard had an 84% completion rate, throwing for 185 yards and three touchdowns.
Being the youngest quarterback with plenty of potential, Howard gives the Rebels something to look forward to in the upcoming years.
“With the two older quarterbacks, they’ve done a great job coaching me,” Howard said about playing alongside Dart and Sanders. “Analysts and coaches are also helping me out. We get better every single day and those two guys push me every day.”
Playing for both the Red and the Navy team, Howard was able to throw to a variety of star receivers including Jordan Watkins and Chris Marshall for the Red and Michael Trigg and JJ Henry for the Navy.
Howard’s talent is a key part of the Rebels’ offense, and Howard remains a possible option in the race for the starting quarterback position.
Leading the Red team was Dart. After finishing the game with a 48% completion rate, throwing for 302 yards and one touchdown, Dart preaches his strong progression this spring as well as feeling more comfortable with the offense, compared to when he first started for the Rebels.
“I try to develop myself into a first-round draft pick. I just try and keep getting better each day, and it’s good to have guys like that who push you every day, and it’s fun being in a room with that,” Dart said when asked of his progress this spring. “Spencer has had a lot of experience and Walker and I are kind of the younger ones, so it’s good to take some word of advice from him and then with them being new to the system, and me being able to give them feedback has helped us all develop.”
Dart made a statement last year in his debut for the Rebels. He is looking forward to working alongside two new faces, as well as carrying on the competition into the next few seasons.
As for the defense, John Saunders Jr. is someone Rebel fans should be excited about. Saunders recorded 13.5 tackles, one tackle for loss and caught one interception.
“Any opportunity to turn it over is amazing for the defense to give the ball back to the offense,” Saunders said after the game. “I’m going to keep watching film and critique it and continue to get better everyday.”
Saunders is a force to be reckoned with on the defensive end.
In a competitive battle between the Red and the Navy, things are looking very good on the defensive and offensive ends. Ole Miss fans should be eager to be back in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium this fall as the Rebels go into the 2023 season with a strong and exciting schedule.
