Starting Week 1 with breaking a record is something only Jaxson Dart is capable of. Ole Miss started off the 2024 season with a massive 76-0 win over the Paladins. Following this, the team went on to grab a 52-3 win over Middle Tennessee. This marked the start of something great. At the helm, Jaxson Dart was there to carry his roster to a solid Week 1 run and as the team steps into Week 2, Dart has now managed to climb to the top of the Heisman hopeful ladder.

Despite all the hype, Dart has not forgotten his roots. On The Official Heisman Trophy Podcast on September 11th, Dart gets real about his relationship with his friends from USC and QB Miller Moss. “Yeah, absolutely. I would say some of my best friends are still at USC. And I loved my time there,” Dart mentioned.

Ole Miss ain’t the one Dart started off his CFB journey with. Back in 2021, Dart rolled into Trojans. Arguably the worst year at USC with the Trojans going 4-8 and HC Clay Helton getting fired, Dart still managed to lock in over 1300 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions while appearing in 5 games as a true freshman. The time with the Trojans allowed Dart and Miller Moss to become really good friends. “I loved being in the same quarterback room with Miller. He’s a stud,” Dart mentioned. Both QBs still stayed in touch after all this time. Dart and his friendship with Moss was one of the things that made it quite hard for him to leave the Trojans. However, every fairy tale does come to an end, eventually.

2022 was when Jaxson Dart finally landed in Ole Miss and he has been making history ever since. In the 2024 season, Dart has already made the Trojans one of the strongest contenders for the SEC Championship. That guy has already managed to break the SEC’s record of most pass completions during the game against the Middle Tenn. 24 completion streak, breaking the 1998 record set by Tennessee’s Tee Martin. While Moss is still trying to fill the void QB Caleb Williams had left behind at the Trojans, Dart is darting toward the top of the 2025 NFL draft class.

Jaxson Dart and his draft projections

You gotta hand it to HC Lane Kiffin. While that man did troll the heck out of former HC Nick Saban while working under him, Kiffin is still a solid coach and that shows from how much improvement Dart has showcased under him. Last year, he put up some serious numbers with 3,364 yards and 23 touchdowns and only threw 5 interceptions. Well, he’s come a long way since his time at USC, and his progress has landed him at number 3 in the NFL Draft projections with a grade of 3.61.

If that wasn’t enough, the guy is currently standing with a +850 on the Heisman list as well. 5th QB in the history of the SEC to grab several games with 350+ passing and a rushing TD? that’s Jaxson Dart for you. While it is true that Kiffin is on the hot seat this year because of all the money the program has spent to grab the best recruits, we do know one thing: Dart is definitely going to make the fans proud.