Jaxson Chase Dart (born May 13, 2003) is an American football quarterback for the Ole Miss Rebels. He began his college football career for the USC Trojans before transferring to Ole Miss in 2022.

Jaxson Dart
Dart in 2024
Ole Miss Rebels – No. 2
PositionQuarterback
ClassSenior
MajorBusiness
Personal information
Born: (2003-05-13) May 13, 2003 (age 21)
Kaysville, Utah, U.S.
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career history
College
Bowl games
High schoolCorner Canyon (Draper, Utah)

Early life

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Dart was born in Kaysville, Utah on May 13, 2003. He is the oldest of four children.[1] He attended Roy High School for his first three years of High School before transferring to Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah. As a senior, he was the Gatorade Football Player of the Year after he passed for 4,691 yards with a state record 67 touchdowns and only four interceptions.[2][3] He also rushed for 1,195 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was also the MaxPreps National Player of the Year.[4] Overall during his career he had 10,688 passing yards and 117 touchdowns.

Despite an offer from Arizona State University and off-season training with former ASU QB Taylor Kelly in Tempe, Arizona, Dart committed to the University of Southern California (USC) to play college football.[5][6][7]

In addition to playing football, Dart was a two time all-state third baseman for the baseball team.

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40 Commit date
Jaxson Dart
Dual QB
Draper, UT Corner Canyon (UT) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) N/A Dec 16, 2020 
Star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 89
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

College career

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Jaxson Dart competed to be Kedon Slovis' backup quarterback his first year at USC in 2021.[8] During the annual Spring Game, Dart impressed coaches with his arm strength and mobility. On the final play of the game Dart threw a touchdown pass to fellow freshman Michael Jackson III, who made an impressive one-handed diving catch.

On September 18, Dart entered the game against Washington State in the second drive of the game, replacing injured QB Kedon Slovis. USC was playing their first game after the firing of coach Clay Helton. Dart entered the game and threw an interception to end his first drive. Dart responded by throwing a 38-yard touchdown pass late in the first half. Dart finished the day 30-for-46 for 391 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.[9] The Trojans defeated the Cougars 42–14, in a blowout win. Dart's 391 yards set the record for most passing yards ever by a USC QB in a debut, breaking JT Daniels’ record of 282 in 2018.[10]

On November 20, Dart made his first career start against UCLA.[11]

Ole Miss

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Following the 2021 season, Lincoln Riley was hired as the head coach of USC. Amidst the rumors that Oklahoma QB Caleb Williams would follow Riley to USC, Dart entered the NCAA transfer portal.[12] Dart and USC teammate Michael Trigg then officially enrolled at Ole Miss, where Dart became the primary starting quarterback for head coach Lane Kiffin.[13]

Statistics

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Season Games Passing Rushing
GP GS Record Comp Att Pct Yards Avg TD Int Rate Att Yards Avg TD
USC Trojans
2021 6 3 0–3 117 189 61.9 1,353 7.2 9 5 132.5 22 43 2.0 2
Ole Miss Rebels
2022 13 12 7–5 226 362 62.4 2,974 8.2 20 11 143.6 128 614 4.8 1
2023 13 13 11–2 233 358 65.1 3,364 9.4 23 5 162.4 119 391 3.3 8
2024 11 11 8–3 235 339 69.3 3,732 11.0 24 6 181.6 99 375 3.8 3
Career 43 39 26–13 811 1,248 65.0 11,423 9.2 76 27 157.6 368 1,421 3.9 14

Personal life

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Dart is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[1][14]

References

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  1. ^ a b Rippee, Brian (September 1, 2022). "RebelGrove: Ole Miss Rebels Football & Basketball Recruiting - Misunderstood in Mississippi: Jaxson Dart finds home in unexpected place". olemiss.rivals.com. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  2. ^ McDonald, Ryan (May 26, 2021). "The advice Trevor Lawrence gave Jaxson Dart after he won Gatorade National Player of the Year". Deseret News. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  3. ^ Vejar, Alex (May 26, 2021). "Jaxson Dart rose from unknown to star QB at Corner Canyon. He's now the Gatorade National Player of the Year". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  4. ^ Vejar, Alex (January 29, 2021). "Corner Canyon's Jaxson Dart named MaxPreps National Football Player of the Year". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  5. ^ Kartje, Ryan (December 16, 2020). "Jaxson Dart is one of two four star-rated quarterbacks to sign with USC". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  6. ^ Edward, James (December 16, 2020). "Corner Canyon highly recruited quarterback Jaxson Dart signs with USC". Deseret News.
  7. ^ VanHaaren, Tom (December 16, 2020). "Bull's-eye: USC lands Dart to fill big need at QB". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  8. ^ Grosbard, Adam (April 30, 2021). "How USC's freshman QBs progressed during spring football". Orange County Register. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  9. ^ Pattison, Claudette Montana (September 18, 2021). "USC QB Jaxson Dart Dominates Over Washington State, Alumni Reacts". Sports Illustrated USC Trojans News, Analysis and More. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  10. ^ Grosbard, Adam (September 18, 2021). "Jaxson Dart's record debut propels USC comeback over Washington State". Orange County Register. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  11. ^ Kartje, Ryan (November 16, 2021). "Jaxson Dart will make first start for USC in rivalry game vs. UCLA". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  12. ^ Rittenberg, Adam (January 10, 2022). "USC Trojans QB Jaxson Dart enters NCAA transfer portal". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  13. ^ "The derby is over: Jaxson Dart is Ole Miss' starting quarterback". The Dispatch. September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  14. ^ Lundquist, Casey (November 25, 2020). "BYU Football: Jaxson Dart Focused on Five Schools Ahead of Signing Day". BYU Cougars on Sports Illustrated: News, Analysis, and More. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
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