QB Jaxson Dart Chasing 'New Goals' for Ole Miss, Not Personal Accolades, in 2024

Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart is not worried about personal awards and accolades this season. Instead, he's focused on taking his team to new heights.

Dec 30, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) celebrates after a victory against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Jaxson Dart has quickly evolved from a young transfer quarterback into one of the most-hyped signal callers in the country for the 2024 season.

The Ole Miss Rebels senior has seen his fair share of struggles since arriving in Oxford from the USC Trojans prior to the 2022 season, but his eyes are focused on what this season can mean for his team. Ole Miss is widely-considered to have enough firepower to reach the College Football Playoff, but it all started for Dart when he was a freshman out in Los Angeles.

Admittedly, however, he doesn't take a lot of time to ponder on where he's been. He's more focused on what lies ahead.

"Honestly, I don't really look back at it as much as I probably should, just to see the growth," Dart said at SEC Media Days. "But it's definitely been a wild ride, seeing your experiences year-in and year-out. I'm very thankful for each and every one of them because I feel like it's put me in the situation I'm in today."

Even though it fell short of the four-team CFP last season, Ole Miss still made history. The 2023 campaign was the first-ever 11-win campaign for the Rebels, and winning the Peach Bowl set the country on notice that this team can potentially make even more national noise this fall.

The Rebels return the likes of Dart and multiple weapons around him (Tre Harris, Jordan Watkins, Caden Prieskorn and others), but they also raided the transfer portal to shore up some roster deficiencies in hope of reaching the newly-expanded playoff.

That's what this year is about: chasing a new standard, but Dart thinks that each season is like that, in a sense.

"I think every year, that's kind of what you're chasing," Dart said. "You're chasing a new standard, goals and aspirations. I feel like we have the capability to do whatever we want this year. It's just going to come down to how tight we can form a connection between each other and that bond and that culture."

High team expectations usually come with high quarterback expectations. High quarterback expectations open up conversations about accolades (the NFL Draft, Heisman race, etc.), and Dart is no exception entering this season.

Again, that's not his focus, however. His focus is on Ole Miss, and he is content with letting the rest fall where it may.

"You'll see it on social media," Dart said of individual accolades. "It's kind of natural just to see it, but I feel like the people in my corner have been able to hold me to a standard of trying to do all I can to put our team in the best situation. That's always been my mindset from the moment I got here because I know all that stuff will come with it."

Dart and Ole Miss will open their 2024 season at home against the FCS Furman Paladins on Aug. 31.