As Lane Kiffin Waits To Unveil QB1, Both Passers Prepare For Mercer

Spencer Sanders and Jaxson Dart both enter the weekened preparing as if they are the starting QB for Ole Miss.

When Ole Miss trots out for the first time in 2023, most of the country will have its answer on who Lane Kiffin is starting at quarterback. 

For the week, that is. Who knows if the fourth-year Rebels coach will flip a switch in his mind and decide that Option B was always the first choice by the time the program packs to leave for New Orleans in Week 2 to face Tulane. 

“My mindset is trying to be the best quarterback in the country,” junior quarterback and 2022 starter Jaxson Dart said. “So, I just want to push myself every single day. I have great competition around me that’s helping me do that.”

“You just kind of take it one day at a time,” newcomer and fifth-year senior Spencer Sanders said. “Control what you can control.”

Kiffin said at the start of fall camp that he would name a starter before Week 1's matchup against Mercer, likely a few days before kickoff. There was a catch; the QB must prove himself throughout practice before a decision was made.

Dart and Sanders have been the front-runners to win the starting job since spring. LSU transfer Walker Howard is in the mix, but he's more so Kiffin's quarterback of the future, and Ole Miss has its sights on winning 10-plus games while competing for the College Football Playoff. 

Most figured Kiffin would relay the message to the two gunslingers and ask them to play coy until Saturday. Maybe he has, but as of Tuesday, neither player had the answer to the question burning around Oxford. 

Dart, who already has a year in Kiffin's system and worked nearly all first-team reps, said the looming decision has put a chip on his shoulder. Sanders, who spent four seasons as Oklahoma State's starter, said while everyone is filled with anticipation, both players have been cordial throughout the process.

"We talk to each other, how we help each other. He’s helped me actually quite a bit. Obviously, he’s been here, he knows the offense," Sanders said during his media session Tuesday. "You want to be the best at the offense, you know you at least have another person who was the best here before you got here. So, you learn things."

Whichever way Kiffin goes, he'll have experience. Dart won the starting job over Luke Altmyer last season 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. 

Sanders, who elected to join the Rebels despite having offers from schools in more dire quarterback situations, has the reps. He's played in 43 games since his freshman season back in 2019, 41 of which were starts. Sanders was also named first-team All-Big 12 in 2021 and threw for 9,553 yards, 67 touchdowns and 40 interceptions during his stay in Stillwater. 

Kiffin could elect to play both passers in preparation for facing the Green Wave, but the inclination is he's looking for a leader. One person a program can rally behind. Sanders bet on himself to compete with Dart, but the latter has been the more consistent option in practice. 

QB1 will debut at 2:30 p.m. Saturday against the Bears at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. As for who that is? Kiffin seems to be the lone keeper of Oxford's biggest secret.