How Will Ole Miss QB Competition Shake Out?

The Rebels have one of the deepest quarterback rooms in the country, but who will earn the title of QB1 this season?

The Ole Miss Rebels quarterback room has been obsessively covered this offseason, and everyone has their fair share of opinions on who should (and will) be named the starter this fall. I suppose it's time for me to give my own opinions on the matter.

That's what this story is: an exercise in opinion. Much of what I will write here is pure speculation, but I'll do my best to back it up with quotes and stats where applicable. Some aspects of this room, however, lend themselves to being pure speculation, so that part will be difficult to avoid.

So, who do I see being Ole Miss' starting quarterback in 2023? Let's dive in. 

SETTING THE STAGE

If you're an Ole Miss fan, you may be tired of quarterback controversies after last year. Lane Kiffin did not firmly name a starter until a few weeks into the season, and although Jaxson Dart and Luke Altmyer struggled to pull away from one another, Dart eventually earned the nod and played the rest of the way. Now, you have an even more complex scenario on hand.

Spencer Sanders opted to transfer to Ole Miss for his final year of collegiate eligibility from the Oklahoma State Cowboys, leading some to believe he was promised the starting spot if he came to Oxford. That may or may not be true (again, it's all speculation), but that has been one of the biggest questions on the mind of fans this offseason: why would Sanders join the Rebels if he wasn't going to start?

Sanders certainly had a productive career at Oklahoma State, but you had to take the good with the bad. Sure, he's thrown for an obscene amount of yards and 67 touchdowns over the course of four years, but he has also tossed 40 interceptions. The talent is there, but the "gambler" mentality is as well.

Then you've got the young guns in Walker Howard and Austin Simmons. These two names are usually thrown into the discussion about the starting quarterback position to illustrate depth in the room, but the majority of the headlines have revolved around "Dart vs. Sanders" in this race. These other arms are young and will certainly have their opportunity. For Dart and Sanders, however, it's almost now-or-never.

Finally, you have the incumbent office holder in the aforementioned Jaxson Dart. The Rebels' starter from a season ago had his ups and downs, but his upside has never been questioned after transferring in from the USC Trojans. The question has now been centered on if he can keep Sanders and the other quarterbacks at bay and hold onto his position.

'SPRING FORWARD' AND SEC MEDIA DAYS

Spring camp was the first opportunity for media and fans alike to see the new quarterback room in action, but some of that could be misleading. Sanders has dealt with a shoulder injury this offseason and was admittedly not at 100 percent during the spring. 

On the other hand, Jaxson Dart had a superb showing during camp, garnering praise from Lane Kiffin for his ability to take care of the football and run the offense smoothly. Walker Howard saw snaps in the Grove Bowl spring game as well, and all three signal callers had a pretty impressive day at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. 

After the spring game, the speculation continued, and it has lived on through SEC Media Days last week. Kiffin did not field a question on the quarterback situation or Sanders' injury in the big room at Media Days, but he did touch on the subject on SEC Now and with the local media.

"We're excited about that because [Sanders] was not 100 percent during spring," Kiffin said. "It's a really competitive room. And it's in much better shape, which is our goal as a staff for an entire roster, each position group to try to make them more competitive and more balanced throughout. That room is by far the best it's been since I've been here, so we're excited about camp coming up to see these guys fully healthy."

So, that leaves a door open. Spencer Sanders is supposedly fully healthy now, so we could see a shift during fall camp. But Kiffin also spoke on Jaxson Dart when he joined the crew of SEC Now, specifically when it comes to leadership and lack of turnovers as deciding factors in choosing his starting quarterback.

Dart only committed one turnover in spring practice, so that's a positive sign for the incumbent.

"Taking care of the ball," Kiffin said. "We did some really good things last year, but as a team, we didn't take care of the ball, and a lot of it has to do with that position. Improving on that and the leadership as [Dart] goes into year two. The other quarterbacks are going into year one with us.

"That's hard. People think a quarterback is supposed to go in and it's supposed to go great. That's a challenge for first-year guys. Luckily, Jaxson is going into his second year."

Am I reading too much into that? Maybe, but pairing Jaxson Dart's leadership, familiarity with the offense, and improvement in the turnover department with some of Kiffin's comments makes me think that he has a leg up as August approaches, especially given Sanders' interception history.

FINAL ANALYSIS 

So, who do I think will be the starting quarterback for the Ole Miss Rebels in 2023? If you made me bet, I'd pick Jaxson Dart. It's not set-in-stone, but I do believe his improvement this spring, chemistry with his teammates and continuity within the offensive system will be too much for the other arms to overcome.

Spencer Sanders is certainly talented, but perhaps his injury in spring put him behind the proverbial eight ball. Regardless, he could still win the job, but for now, my money is on Dart.

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You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.

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