Jaxson Dart, the former University of Southern California quarterback and current Ole Miss starter, came into this season with a lack of trust from the Ole Miss football fanbase. When Head Coach Lane Kiffin brought in Spencer Sanders from Oklahoma State, many people automatically thought Dart was going to be second on the depth chart behind him.
He proved many people wrong this offseason, and his improvement has spilled over into the season as he has excelled in the first three games of the year. He is a top-15 QB in Quarterback Rating in the Power 5 conferences, and he has been an excellent leader for the Rebels.
Dart started off the year with a great game against Mercer to start this season. He threw for over 330 yards and had four passing touchdowns as well. He played tremendously in the starting role, and he has left no question in fans’ minds of who the No.1 QB on the team is.
The Utah native has proven that he can be extremely clutch as well, something he has made great strides in since last year. Late in the Tulane game two weeks ago, Dart dodged a defensive lineman and threw a touchdown pass to Michael Trigg to seal the game, putting the Rebels up by 10 on a key fourth down play. Although he was good last season, Dart could not have pulled off that fourth down play.
With Ole Miss’ offensive line struggling through the first three games of this season, Dart has been able to use his pocket presence and his ability to run up and down the field to his advantage for the Rebels.
He is the leading rusher for the Rebels, tallying 213 yards in three games to go along with two rushing touchdowns on the season. He is averaging 6.7 yards per carry and has been electric making plays with his legs when the pocket breaks down.
Dart and new WR Tre Harris have been a great connection for this football team as they have connected for five touchdowns and have been huge on down field throws as well. Dart’s deep pass accuracy has looked much better than last year.
Another thing that Dart has improved on is his ability to stand in the pocket and be willing to take hits to complete throws. Last year, he would often either force a turnover or take a sack, but this year, he looks way more calm in the pocket.
Ole Miss began this season with three potential starting quarterbacks, and those three would be starters at almost any other school, but Dart’s light has shined brighter than the others. He, in turn, has won over the fanbase.
He has improved in nearly every statistical category and metric, which is a testament to his willingness to put in the work for his team and coaches.
