Ole Miss gunslinger Jaxson Dart could be the SEC's top quarterback by early December. He could be the reason the Rebels finally touch down in Atlanta for the SEC Championship en route to their first College Football Playoff berth.
But where does Dart list among national passers entering 2024? According to one outlet, he's a top-five name in the sport.
Dart was listed as the No. 4 quarterback in CBS Sports' latest rankings, and the No. 3 quarterback in the SEC. Georgia's Carson Beck took the top spot while Texas' Quinn Ewers was listed as second.
Dart was one of the most productive players in the country last season. The dual-threat accounted for 3,753 total yards and 31 total touchdowns while also taking care of the football (his 1.18% Whoopsy Daisy Rate ranked 9th nationally). Ole Miss loaded up in the transfer portal this offseason partly because it knows that with Dart and this offense, it can make a run at an SEC title and playoff berth in the debuting 12-team format - CBS Sports
Entering his third season in Oxford, expectations are high for Dart to break out into "elite" conversations. As a sophomore, results were mixed amid an 8-5 season, but the USC transfer was still getting acclimated to Lane Kiffin's offense and play-calling.
A year later, Dart flourished while guiding the Rebels to their second 10-win regular season finish in program history. Against Penn State in the Peach Bowl, Dart completed 25 of 40 pass attempts for 378 yards and three touchdowns as Ole Miss secured a 38-25 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Dart's obvious growth was his turnover rate. After tossing 11 interceptions in 2022, the junior slashed that number by more than half, throwing only five on the way to the first 11-win season in program history.
His completion percentage also rose from 62.4 percent to 65.1 percent, while his passer rating expanded by nearly 20 points (143.6 to 162.4).
Dart, who will be limited in spring practice, according to Kiffin, will have a chance to prove he's the SEC's finest against Beck when Georgia visits Oxford on Nov. 9. The matchup at Vaught-Hemingway could lead to massive Heisman implications for both teams as November usually separates the contenders from the pretenders.
Alabama's Jalen Milroe was the only other SEC quarterback listed in CBS Sports' top 10, though Oklahoma's Jackson Arnold and Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava were named honorable mentions. The Rebels won't face the Crimson Tide or Volunteers in 2024 but will host Oklahoma on Oct. 25.
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