One More Ride? Lane Kiffin Jokes For QB Jaxson Dart To Return To Ole Miss

Lane Kiffin would love for Jaxson Dart to return to the Ole Miss Rebels one final time before going pro.

Jan 2, 2025; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) is given the MVP award after beating tubes Duke Blue Devils in the Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Jaxson Dart's time in Oxford is up.

That doesn't mean Lane Kiffin won't do his best to convince the NCAA to grant him one more year of eligibility.

Dart, the senior Ole Miss gunslinger best known for redefining the Kiffin era, capped off his Rebels career in style Thursday evening at the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against Duke. The senior threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns while breaking two more records en route to earning MVP honors in a 52-20 victory.

The No.14 Rebels (10-3) will miss Dart, who won over NFL scouts with his clean strikes against a top-25 Blue Devils defense for four quarters. He could sneak his way into the first round of NFL draft conversations from now until April.

Kiffin, who secured his third double-digit win season in five years, joked that Dart's time in Oxford wasn't over, telling ESPN that the senior should ask for an extra year of eligibility, similar to that of nod Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia.

"You never know, maybe he'll file a waiver and come back another year," Kiffin told ESPN following the game.

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) rushes for yards during the second quarter of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pavia, who helped the Commodores win their first bowl game since 2013, successfully sued the NCAA to get an extra year of eligibility. He'll return to Nashville for another season in hopes of bettering his draft stock for the 2026 draft.

The steam of Pavia's lawsuit ties back to his junior college days, thus calling for another year of eligibility because of the on-field play. Dart, who spent one season at USC before transferring to Ole Miss, cannot get the same treatment.

Lane Kiffin just took a shot at Diego Pavia!

The smile to the camera after 😂 pic.twitter.com/Nq5MJZ7lSO

— Adam Spencer (@AdamSpencer4) January 3, 2025

Kiffin was then asked if he was pushing for Dart to return to school for a fourth year. The Rebels coach is excited for the future under Austin Simmons, but didn't deny a chance to work with the Utah native one final time.

"Maybe," Kiffin said. 

Dart, who will close out his Rebels career as the all-time leader in wins, set the single-season Ole Miss record for total yards on Thursday at EverBank Stadium with 4,542 yards. The record was initially set by Chad Kelly in 2015.

Dart also broke Kelly's Rebels' record of 4,042 passing yards in a season.

With a win, the Rebels secured their first back-to-back 10-win seasons since 1959-60.