It has been only a month since the NFL 2024 Draft has dropped curtains and critics are already up with their speculation for the 2025 NFL draft. Till now, there has been much hype about Deion Sanders’ son and Colorado Buffaloes’ quarterback sensation Shedeur Sanders and Georgia’s Carson Beck.

However, there has been a new entry who is believed to be a threat to both Sanders and Beck. It is none other than the Old Miss Rebels’ phenom, Jaxson Dart. On the YouTube podcast, College Football Show, the hosts hailed Dart as the Heisman’s ‘dark horse’. Outside of the gridiron too, Dart gives Sanders a tough time. 

Dart leaving a threat with his ‘dark horse’ effect

With more than a month left for the 2024 college season to hit the grounds, analysts have already come up with their 2025 NFL Draft predictions. With the draft projections comes the Heisman Trophy winner forecast. In this case, there seems to be a possibility of Lane Kiffin’s system having an advantage over others. Credit goes to their quarterback, Dart since the Rebels have not had a serious contender for the Heisman on their roster the last couple of years.

What’s more interesting is Max Chadwick’s claim that other than being the No.6 signal-caller, Dart could be a great “dark-horse” pick to win the Heisman in 2024. Going by the calculation report by FanDuel, the Ole Miss quarterback has a 6.25% chance of taking home the Heisman Award. While Shedeur’s performance has been worth contention, his high sack record could land him a backseat. On the other hand, despite showing his subtle athleticism, Beck from Georgia may lack the scrambling capability desired for extending plays in the pro ranks. Recording 1,003 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, Dart did leave a terror outside the gridiron. 

Close call in NIL grounds

Till now, as far as college football was concerned, Shedeur Sanders reigned at the top of the NIL charts. The top NIL valuation given by On3 goes to the Colorado QB, valued at an astonishing $4.7 million. Beck too earned himself a spot in the NIL landscape owning a valuation of $1.5 million. Most recently, the Georgian quarterback signed an agreement with Associate Credit Union.

However, even though Dart has been a new entry to the NIL list, he is giving Shedeur and Beck a tough contest. It was only after that the quarterback propelled Ole Miss to an 11-win season in 2023, that his valuation underwent a sharp ascent. Dart inked a NIL deal with Nicholas Air, becoming the first private jet partnership for a player in college football history.

Dart comes in at +1800 odds for the Heisman award. However, it would require him to do something out of the box to reach the records of the Heisman-winning QBs who averaged 367.3 combined passing and rushing yards in their respective Heisman seasons. But after all this, the Ole Miss Rebels have found their ‘dark horse’ to pose enough threat to top prospects, Shedeur and Beck in particular.