Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin expects starting quarterback Jaxson Dart to return to the Rebels in 2024, he said during his weekly radio show. Kiffin was asked whether Dart, who was injured during the second half of the No. 13 Rebels' Week 11 loss at No. 1 Georgia, would play Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe. He not only gave Rebels fans good news on that front, he did them one better with news on Dart's plans for the future.
"[Dart] will play," Kiffin said. "I mean, I guess I can kind of speak for him, [Dart] said he's coming back [in 2024]. We're planning on him being back next year and getting better."
Dart would enter his fourth and final season of eligibility in 2024. He joined Ole Miss in 2022 after transferring from USC. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound junior from Draper, Utah, has completed 65.1% of his passes this season for 2,579 yards and 16 touchdowns with five interceptions. Dart has also rushed for 354 yards and seven touchdowns.
Dart completed 62.4% of his passes for 2,974 yards and 20 touchdowns during his debut season in Oxford, but was intercepted 11 times. His dual-threat capabilities added a dimension to the Ole Miss offense. He rushed for 614 yards and a touchdown in 2022.
Dart committed to USC as a top-15 quarterback prospect in the 2021 cycle, per 247Sports, but only spent one season with the Trojans. USC fired coach Clay Helton, whom Dart committed to play for, just two games into the signal caller's freshman season. Dart played in six games for the Trojans in 2021, making three starts.
Dart and the Rebels will look to improve to 9-2 on the season Saturday when they host ULM. Ole Miss is in pursuit of its second 10-win season since Kiffin arrived to the program ahead of the 2020 season.
