Rebels WR Dayton Wade Sees Competition In QB Room

Dayton Wade is high on Jaxson Dart, but sees potential in Walker Howard and Spencer Sanders.

There's competition in the quarterback room at Ole Miss once again. Consider rising senior receiver Dayton Wade a fan of the process. 

While Wade should carve out a starting role in the passing game, there are still questions as to who will be throwing him touchdowns in 2023. Junior Jaxson Dart seems to be the favorite to win the title of QB1, but former Oklahoma State starter Spencer Sanders and LSU five-star Walker Howard could push him out of the running with a strong summer. 

Wade, who finished last season fourth in receptions (27) and receiving yards (309), is a proponent of competition at every position. That includes quarterback. And while he already has built a rapport with Dart, he wants what's best for the program in the long run. 

"I don’t think (what) people understand is, when you have a lot of talent in a room … it brings the best out of everyone,” Wade said. “That’s going to really show, ok, who’s really — everybody’s great — but somebody’s got to be better than somebody else. And the fastest way to bring that out of somebody is to have somebody challenge you.”

Dart, who finished last season throwing for 2,974 yards and 20 touchdowns, has been the most consistent passer in camp. Rebels coach Lane Kiffin praised the former USC transfer for his ability to find a rhythm in moving the ball downfield and stepping up vocally in the huddle. 

It's not as if Dart was a disaster in Year 1 in Oxford. If anything, he was inconsistent. One week, he was throwing for over 400 yards against Vanderbilt. Two weeks later, he completed less than 60 percent of his passes against LSU. 

Wade, who hauled in three touchdowns from Dart in 2022, said that Dart's maturation was evident in both the team's scrimmage and practice. On Wednesday, he pulled Dart aside to tell him that his decision-making and timing had improved from a season ago. 

"He’s really grown a lot in a span of a few months — season really just ended, and we still have a long way to go, so it’s only more growth that he’s going to do," Wade said. "I’m excited to see him getting close to his ceiling.”

Howard, one of the top quarterback recruits from 2022, didn't take a snap in Baton Rouge after sitting behind Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier as a redshirt freshman. Sanders, a four-year starter at Oklahoma State, has been limited this spring due to an injury suffered during his final year in Stillwater. 

As the Cowboys' starter, Sanders threw for over 11,000 yards and 67 touchdowns against 40 interceptions. He also led Oklahoma State to the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame to close out the 2022 season, and posted a 31-12 record.

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