By Billy Watkins
He is without question the most important signee of the Lane Kiffin era.
As senior quarterback Jaxson Dart has matured and developed the past two seasons, so has Ole Miss’ presence in college football’s national picture.
The Rebels are ranked No. 6 in the country entering Saturday’s opener against Furman. Dart is a central figure in Heisman Trophy discussions. At arguably the most demanding position in sports, he gives the Rebels a chance to beat anyone. And he is surrounded by the most talented roster — offense and defense — Ole Miss has put together in years. And some of the players from the past two portal classes have said Dart helped recruit them to Oxford.
Still, as the 2024 season kicks off, there are things to remind ourselves of when it comes to Dart. Here are three:
No one should be surprised by Dart’s rise to stardom.
He was the National Gatorade Player of the Year, MaxPreps’ National Player of the Year and rated the No. 10 quarterback in the 2021 recruiting class out of Kaysville, Utah. He led Corner Canyon High School to three consecutive state championships. As a senior, he threw for a national-best 4,691 yards, 67 touchdowns and was intercepted just four times.
He was one of USC”s marquee signees. But Trojans coach Clay Helton was fired early during Dart’s freshman season in which he wound up playing in eight games due to injuries to starter Kedon Slovis. In his first start, he compiled 484 yards of total offense in a loss to UCLA.
After suffering through a 4-8 season and doubts hovered over the program’s future, Dart entered the transfer portal. Among the first to contact him was Kiffin.
One thing that wasn’t on his recruiting bio was just how tough the guy is. There were times the past two season I didn’t think he would get up from a brutal hit, only to watch him limp back to the huddle and keep going. Teammates respect and respond to that.
A large portion of those numbers he put up last season — 3,364 yards passing, 23 TDs, 389 yards rushing, 8 TDs — were gained while playing with a knee that required some “clean up” surgery after the Peach Bowl victory over Penn State..
Dart has been at his best in the clutch
He was asked earlier this week what he was looking forward to learning about this year’s team.
He answered: “Yeah, I’m really excited to face adversity. That’s something I’m actually looking forward to and seeing how our team handles it. I feel like last year, that’s what made our (11-2) team what it was — us being able to block out the noises, block out the storms and just weather it all. That was what really set us apart last year … the ceiling for our team is so high, I think those times are really going to tell what kind of team we are.”
That is exactly the answer you would expect from Dart, who has thrived when games were in the balance.
After losing to Alabama 24-10, the Rebels faced LSU in Oxford. Many felt it was a make-or-break game.
Ole Miss trailed 49-40 midway of the fourth quarter. Dart led an 11-play, 69-yard drive to cut the Tigers’ lead to 49-47 with 5:06 left.
After the defense forced a punt, Dart led an 8-play, 88-yard drive for the winning score.
On those two drives, Dart completed 5 of 6 passes for 106 yards. He had completions of 24, 17, 13, 37 and 15 yards.
On the first Saturday in November and the Rebels 9-1, Texas A&M visited Oxford. The Aggies led 35-31 with 4:34 left. Dart took the team 56 yards in eight plays to win the game, 38-35.
But the defense made critical stops in those wins over LSU and A&M. The batted pass in the end zone vs. LSU on the game’s final play, the blocked field goal vs. A&M that would have tied the game.
Such challenging moments will surely come this season. And Dart gave that answer to his teammates as much as he did to the media. He wanted them to read it or see it. It was his way of reinforcing to them, “Don’t fear the rough patches, embrace them.”
He became the team’s unquestioned leader following the 2022 Egg Bowl.
It seems a distant memory in some ways. Ole Miss was 8-1 and lost its final three regular season games. Mississippi State had put the final nail in a miserable closing stretch by winning 24-22. And Kiffin seemed to have one foot out the door, on his way to coach Auburn. State fans even chanted “Auuuu-burrrrnn” throughout the game.
When Dart faced the media postgame, he addressed the Kiffin rumors and the effect they had on the team during the final three games.
“It’s kind of tough sometimes when things are just thrown in your face,” he said. “I feel like, as a team, we’ve been able to stay together as best we can.
“My mindset is just whatever happens, I’m going to be here and I’m going to be able to grow and get better. I hope it’s Coach Kiff so we can continue to grow with each other.”
That was planting his sword at midfield and saying to his teammates “follow me.”
At media day a few weeks ago, I asked Dart why he felt the need to say that.
“Looking back on it, I’ve come a long way since then,” he said. “There was just so much commotion and outside noise around the program. But I think the biggest thing I wanted my teammates, along with the coaches and whoever was going to be here, was that this is where I wanted to be. I love this place. I wanted to help make this place special. When I came here, I wanted to leave a legacy, I wanted to do things that had never been done before.
“There are just times when outside noise causes a bit of drama inside s locker room and you try to shut it down but at times it just flares up. And I think at that time, it was a vulnerable moment for our team and program — especially losing that game. I just wanted to put my best foot forward at that moment. And I think it helped.”
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