Jaxson Dart, Walter Nolen Among 'Most Important' Players in National CFP Race

The Ole Miss Rebels have two names who made a recent list of the most important players in the College Football Playoff race.

Dec 30, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) celebrates after a victory against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The College Football Playoff is set to expand to 12 teams this season, and with a bigger field comes an even bigger race to make the final cut.

The Ole Miss Rebels are hoping to be squarely in that race late in the season, but campaigns are made and broken by individual players. Fortunately for the Rebels, they have plenty of difference makers on their roster, and two of them recently made a list highlighting the 25 most important players in this year's race for the CFP: quarterback Jaxson Dart and defensive lineman Walter Nolen.

This story from ESPN is broken into multiple categories, but Nolen and Dart fell into "most important non-quarterback transfers" and "quarterbacks with a potential game-changing leap in them," respectively. Nolen is the No. 13 overall player on this list, while Dart comes in at No. 6.

Beginning with the story's analysis of Nolen, Bill Connelly believes that if he "is properly focused and playing at a high level," Ole Miss has legitimate potential to be a top-five team in the country. The crown jewel of the Rebels' offseason recruiting class, Nolen was one of the top high school prospects in the country in 2022, and he racked up 66 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five sacks, and one forced fumble in two seasons with the Texas A&M Aggies.

Shifting gears to Dart, the theme of Ole Miss being a top-five team was once again highlighted. The story points out how the Rebels quarterback cut his interception total in half last season compared to the 2022 campaign, and he has plenty of weapons at his disposal, including a sometimes-overlooked tight end duo of Caden Prieskorn and Dae'Quan Wright.

These two players are some of the biggest names on Ole Miss' roster, and their selection for this story makes a good deal of sense. Good quarterback play is key in any championship (or playoff) run, and the Rebels have struggled at times in the trenches in recent years against some of the SEC's best teams. Dart's return and Nolen's addition should address both of those aspects in Ole Miss' 2024 season.

These two players (who were also recently named to the Walter Camp Award Preseason Watch List) and the Rebels will open their campaign at home against the FCS Furman Paladins on Aug. 31.