Playoff or Not, QB Jaxson Dart Has Left His Mark With Ole Miss Football

Jaxson Dart has played his final home game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, and his career as an Ole Miss Rebel is drawing to a close.

Nov 29, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) runs the ball against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the fourth quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images / Matt Bush-Imagn Images

When Jaxson Dart became the Ole Miss Rebels' starting quarterback in 2022, he probably didn't think he would rewrite the school's record books during his stay in Oxford.

Dart had just transferred in to join the Rebels after spending one year at USC, and he had to fight for the starting position in back-to-back seasons, first fending off Luke Altmyer and then Spencer Sanders in the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, respectively.

He was successful in both endeavors, and on Friday, he broke yet another Ole Miss record, passing Eli Manning as the program's all-time leader in passing yardage.

Dart returned to Ole Miss in 2024 with hopes of leading the Rebels to the College Football Playoff. Those hopes have lessened after losses to Kentucky, LSU and Florida this season, but even if Ole Miss isn't able to backdoor its way into the playoff, Dart's time in Oxford should be remembered for how much he accomplished in the Rebels program.

Along with Friday's record, Dart is also the all-time leader in total offense, but many of his accomplishments are more intangible. It has been clear since last season that Dart held a special leadership position in the Rebels locker room, and he was instrumental in securing one of the top transfer portal classes in the country this offseason.

The losses in 2024 visibly hurt the Ole Miss quarterback, as well. After the games against Kentucky, LSU and Florida, it was obvious just how emotionally invested Dart is in this program and how hard he has worked to help make it successful. That shouldn't be ignored.

Head coach Lane Kiffin has also seen his relationship with Dart grow over the last three seasons, and the duo shared an emotional embrace on the field in Oxford following Friday's win.

"Just tried to help him keep it together because he cares, man," Kiffin said postgame. "He cares about this team. He cares about this university, and that doesn't happen much in college football anymore. This guy's special. I hope people appreciate that.

"It really wasn't a planned thing. I usually walk off pretty quick. I just wanted to find him and tell him how much I appreciate him. He just said he loved me and started crying, so that kind of got to me. I was trying to be the coach and get him to stop crying. But that's who he is, man. That's a lost generation in college football now."

Dart feels the same way about his head coach. If not for Kiffin's mentorship, these records probably wouldn't have been broken, and he wouldn't have become one of the most successful quarterbacks in Ole Miss history.

Now, the Rebels have a chance to secure back-to-back double-digit-win seasons under Dart's leadership, should they claim a victory in the postseason.

"I love Coach Kiff," Dart said. "He brought me in, had a vision for me, helped develop me into the player I am today. Our relationship has just grown so much. I love him to death, and I'd go to war for him any day of the week.

"You try to come in and make your coaches happy. I tried to do that every single day, and I'm just very thankful for him, and I love him."

This season may not end up being what Ole Miss fans wanted it to be in terms of reaching the College Football Playoff, but the Rebel faithful have been able to witness the maturation of a superb quarterback over the last three years, and he will leave the fan base with plenty of good memories once he plays his final collegiate game, the most recent of which came on Friday with another Egg Bowl win.

At the end of the day, that in itself is impressive, playoff or no playoff.