Lars AndersenThe Rebels have had a busy offseason, with transfer portal acquisitions including tight end Michael Trigg and linebacker Troy Brown, but no player new to Oxford this season has gained quite as much attention as USC transfer Jaxson Dart.
Dart, who was ranked as the seventh-best transfer product this past offseason as a four-star talent by 247sports, has been picked by many fans as the starting quarterback to lead the Rebels this season, but Kiffin clearly sees things differently.
In the previous season, Rebel quarterback and early Heisman Trophy contender Matt Corral had squashed any rumbles of backup quarterback Luke Altmyer taking his job due to Corral’s leadership and his impeccable statistics. Since Corral declared for the NFL Draft, things have gotten more complicated for Kiffin and his staff. Heading into Week 1 against Troy, questions still loom.
Altmyer, in his limited playing time last season, saw only 20 completions and 192 yards, good for an average of 5.2 yards per attempt on 54.1% passing, per ESPN. Although the strength of Corral’s season shouldn’t be a knock on Altmyer’s career, it’s worth noting that his only significant single-game playing time resulted in a loss to Baylor in the Sugar Bowl, 21-7.
Dart has seen significantly more action in his short college career. Since appearing in only six games at USC, Dart has accumulated 1,353 yards, with nine touchdowns and only five interceptions to show for his efforts, with a quarterback rating of 67.7. Comparing these two signal-callers seems simple enough, given Dart’s impressive stats, but his golden arm and western charm belie a dirty secret about his prospects: We don’t know if he can win consistently.
Over the six games Dart appeared in, his efforts were nearly always in vain, with a career record of 2-4 in a conference not well-known for smash mouth, tough defenses like the SEC. In Dart’s PAC-12 career, he threw two interceptions against UCLA (a perennial rival, if not a powerhouse) and only 89 yards against Arizona State, another school not known for its football dominance. In short, the only thing we know about Dart is that he will flash brilliance, but not necessarily maintain it.
Kiffin, ever the schemer as the head coach for the Rebels, has said that he “think(s) both guys have played better.” When pressured about whether he would announce a starter or roll with a collaborative QB approach, Kiffin said, “I don’t anticipate that (not naming a starting quarterback), but I wouldn’t say that wouldn’t happen.”
In other words, Kiffin is as stumped on the decision as we are, which leaves as many questions as answers for Ole Miss heading into the season-opener Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Regardless of the outcome, Ole Miss vs. Troy will be a can’t-miss showcase of talent that we should all be sure to watch.
