Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart Among 'Most Intriguing' Quarterbacks in 2024 Season

Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart has a chance to have a special run in 2024.

Oct 7, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) passes the ball during warm up prior to the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The Ole Miss Rebels have high hopes for the 2024 college football season, and senior quarterback Jaxson Dart is a big reason why.

Dart took a big step forward in Year 2 under the leadership of head coach Lane Kiffin, throwing for over 3,300 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions, less than half of his turnover total in 2022. The Rebels signal caller opted to return to Oxford for a "Last Dance" season where he and other Ole Miss veterans hope to lead the program to its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.

Dart has garnered plenty of offseason acclaim this summer, ranging from Heisman hype to multiple award watch lists. As of Monday morning, he can add the adjective "intriguing" to his list of accolades.

Oct 28, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) is tripped up by Vanderbilt Commodores defensive end-linebacker Aeneas DiCosmo (0) on a two point conversion during the first half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde published a story on Monday that highlights the 25 "most intriguing" college quarterbacks for the 2024 season, and Dart came in at No. 18 on the list thanks to what could be a special season in the red and blue. You can view an excerpt from Forde's piece below.

"Lane Kiffin brought in multiple QB challengers to Dart via the portal last year, and he fended them off to keep the job. Dart cut his interception rate from 3% of his attempts in 2022 to 1.4% in ’23, relying less on making freelance plays and more on the structure of the offense. Now he’s heading into Year 3 as the Ole Miss starter with expectations at their highest."

Forde goes on to state that Kiffin has built a strong team around his quarterback, both on offense and defense, and this strength paired with not having to face Alabama and Texas this season has the Rebels in the SEC Championship Game conversation.

Ole Miss has not reached the conference title game since its advent in 1992, although it did win a share of the SEC West championship in 2003. The Rebels missed out on a chance to appear in Atlanta thanks to losing a tiebreaker to LSU, so Ole Miss' last conference championship came in 1963 under head coach Johnny Vaught.

Now, the SEC has scrapped the division model in its league, making Ole Miss' potential path to Atlanta a little easier, in theory. The Rebels still have to travel to Baton Rouge to face LSU this season along with home dates against Oklahoma and Georgia, but perhaps they can make enough noise in the regular season to earn a spot in this ever-elusive title game. If so, Dart will likely be a big reason why.

Dart and Ole Miss will open their season at home against the FCS Furman Paladins on Aug. 31.