Lane Kiffin Names Jaxson Dart Ole Miss Starter Against Mercer

Jaxson Dart will get the call to open the new season at home.

Lane Kiffin has his starter for Week 1's showdown against Mercer.

According to ESPN, Ole Miss plans to start junior and 2022 starter Jaxson Dart against the Bears when the Rebels take the field at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at 2:30 p.m. Dart had been in a neck-and-neck battle with former Oklahoma State starter Spencer Sanders throughout spring and fall practice.

TheGroveReport.com reported last week that Dart would start Saturday after taking massive strides from Year 1 to Year 2 in Kiffin's offense. Throughout fall camp, Dart worked solely with the first-team offense while Sanders rotated between reps with both the first and second teams.

When asked for comment on Monday, Kiffin declined to name a starter, stating the the team had not come to a final decision on the battle.

Sources tell ESPN that Jaxson Dart is slated to get the start at QB for @OleMissFB today against Mercer. Dart transferred from USC and started 12 of 13 games last season for the Rebels. Dart and Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders battled for the job this preseason.

— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) September 2, 2023

"We're very excited about all the guys. As far as the starter, that's between two people," said Kiffin. "Both guys played extremely well and made very explosive plays on Saturday. Managed the offense well. We feel very confident with either of them."

Dart won the starting job over Luke Altmyer last season after transferring from USC and impressed in bursts, throwing for 2,974 yards, 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while rushing for an additional 614 yards.

Turnovers and inconsistencies became a concern for Dart down the stretch. In the final five starts, including the loss to Texas Tech in the Texas Bowl, Dart completed roughly 62.4 percent of his throws and tossed nine touchdowns against four picks.

Ole Miss lost five of its six final games, including the Egg Bowl against rival Mississippi State.

Both quarterbacks come with experience. Sanders, who enters his fifth and final year of eligibility, started 41 total games for the Cowboys in four years. He threw for 9,553 yards, 67 touchdowns and 40 interceptions while also leading Oklahoma State to three eight-plus winning seasons, including a top-10 10-finish in the AP Poll in 2021.

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Prior to his arrival in Oxford, Dart played in six games for the Trojans, throwing for 1,353 yards and nine touchdowns.

Kiffin and multiple Ole Miss players praised Dart for his attention to detail this offseason and his maturation commanding the huddle.

“He’s older, more mature,” said preseason All-American running back Quinshon Judkins. “He knows a lot more about the offense and the defenses that we face. He’ll be ready to face anybody."

"He's a great quarterback," Memphis transfer tight end Caden Prieskorn said last month. "I just feel like his arm talent has been showing a lot throughout camp. With him being more of a leader throughout workouts, it shows who he is."

The Rebels will travel to New Orleans, La., next week to take on reigning American Conference champions Tulane before returning to Oxford to close out their home-and-home series with Georgia Tech.