The Rebel Leader: Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss

The last time I evaluated Ole Miss quarterback (QB) Jaxson Dart, being clutch was a trait I saw flashes of at times.

He would always keep it together, no matter what, the toughness and shining light is what I have seen inside him.

I’m glad he made the decision to return for the 2024 season and to come back in better shape.

It was said in an SI.com article that this past season Dart was “dealing with a lingering lower-body injury that limited his mobility behind the line of scrimmage.”

“I feel pretty close to 100%,” Dart stated in that April 17 article. “I think it’s going to be good to have some time off to get some extra work done in rehab. Then I can get back to the fundamentals of my game.

Background

This past season Dart’s team improved over the previous year. Ole Miss finished 11-2 with two losses to Alabama and Georgia.

During that 52-17 shellacking by the Bulldogs, Dart made some terrible deep throws, including one interception. His arm strength was suffering noticeably. That could have happened for any number of reasons.

Earlier in the season, in a shootout with the eventual Heisman Trophy winner, QB Jayden Daniels and No. 13 ranked LSU, Dart was like fire and brimstone raining down that day, winning 55-49. In that contest, Dart threw for 389 yards and four touchdowns.

Overall on the season:

• 233 completions out of 358 attempts (65.1%)
• 3,364 yards (9.4 yard average)
• 23 touchdowns
• 5 interceptions
• long of 68 yards
• sacked 27 times

Dart added 391 yards (3.3 yard average) and eight TDs on the ground, giving him an element of being a dual-threat.

The Yanish Report

Tall, solid body. Footwork is there, but still lumbers at times. Navigates pocket inside the tackles. Dangerous red zone mobility. Quick lower release. Needs some fine tuning. Pass breakups were noticeable. Accuracy is best intermediate. Streaky deep. Throws well on the run. Takes hits and needs to find a helmet that fits. Captain, leader, and team believes in him. Needs to take the last step. Lightning clutch. Evolution will matter. Finely tuned gunslinger. Fiery aura. He brought leadership to the position and, most importantly, he brought wins home.

For the win

The SEC is wide open this year and Dart has a chance to seize national attention.

If Ole Miss can put some pieces around him and head coach Lane Kiffin calls the right plays, they can make some noise in 2024.

Hopefully, Dart can stay away from the media and remain an underdog. This will be an exciting year to watch how this prospect finalizes his college career.

Dart has answered my previous questions. Granted, I expected more in the way of performance and stats. Although, my grade stays the same, the winning is what gets me. That’s what I keep coming back to.

Dart is a winner.

My BIG three questions

1. Taking such hard hits, can he learn from it and duck, or will it turn into an injury?

2. Without Alabama on the ‘24 schedule, could this be a key matchup in the College Football Playoffs?

3. What would a trip to the College Football Playoffs mean to his development and draft stock?

My 2025 NFL Draft Value: Third Round

2023 Game film evidence Ole Miss (Jersey No. 2)

LSU

Tulane

Georgia

Arkansas

Mercer

William Yanish III is a lifelong football fan. He’s from the little town of Crawford, Colorado. Along the way, he’s lived in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and Brookings, Oregon. Quarterback Joe Montana was his idol growing up. A little bit of CTE from life’s adventures killed his dreams as a football player. Now, he is an aspiring writer and Draft Analyst at FirstRoundMock.com. He’s a fanatic with a dream, which is coming true.