Lane Kiffin’s No. 2 is no longer playing in Oxford. Jaxson Dart, the former Ole Miss gunslinger who battled through the trenches of SEC Saturdays, has now landed under the bright lights of New York. The Giants shook up their QB room this offseason, scouring both the free agent and trade markets before patching together a veteran duo in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to mentor a rookie. That rookie, of course, is Dart—who wasn’t just taken but traded up for at No. 25 overall in the NFL Draft. It was a bold move, but one that had Brian Daboll’s fingerprints all over it.

And now, Dart’s doubling down on the confidence. In a flashy Insta story, Jaxson Dart revealed his new threads—an electric blue New York Giants jersey with the number 6 stitched on the front. But it wasn’t just the gear that turned heads—it was the four words he paired with it: “Eyes on the prize.” The message was clear. QB1 isn’t a dream. It’s a target. And for a guy pocketing $17 million as a first-round pick, the spotlight is already hot. That No. 6? It’s not just a digit—it’s a declaration.

For the Giants, the Dart pick wasn’t impulsive—it was deliberate. On the Up and Adams Show, GM Joe Schoen made it clear that the choice was baked in collaboration, not just head coach conviction. “No, it was an organizational decision,” Schoen said when asked if Dart was Daboll’s guy. “Any player we take, it’s a collaborative process, and it’s detailed, and we believe in it. Jaxson’s a guy that was on the radar throughout the fall; we were able to see him play live, spend a lot of time with him at the Senior Bowl as well this spring.” That level of scouting clarity is rare. For a front office that’s seen its share of quarterback misfires, this one felt different.

But make no mistake—Daboll’s voice still carried weight. As a former OC with a proven track record for shaping QBs, including a little MVP project named Josh Allen. The Giants HC knows what a moldable, high-upside passer looks like. Add to that the experience of OC Mike Kafka—who had a front-row seat to Patrick Mahomes’ development in Kansas City—and you’ve got a staff built for building. “It helps when the head coach has an offensive background and has a history of developing quarterbacks,” Schoen added.

“And then you throw in a Mike Kafka, who was there for Patrick Mahomes’s rookie year where he only got to play one game and he got to see that development, and Shea Tierney our quarterback coach. So, three coaches on staff that have been part of the development of two pretty good quarterbacks in the league right now.” When those three coaches and the scouting department all agree on a quarterback, Schoen made it clear—that’s when a front office presses the button. “When they’re convicted on a player, and the scouting staff is convicted on a player, typically you have the best chance for success in those situations.”

By the week of the draft, the consensus had crystallized. Dart wasn’t just an option—he was the option. That’s why NY jumped the board to grab him before another QB-needy team could. The pressure now falls on Jaxson Dart to convert that belief into production. The Giants aren’t asking him to carry the franchise in Week 1—Russ and Jameis are in place for that reason. But the developmental track is obvious.

Jaxson Dart’s 100 SPS: A Giant leap for New York?

The buzz in New York is real—and it’s all about Jaxson Dart. The rookie QB has the Giants fanbase dreaming big after he went viral this week for scoring a flawless 100 SPS (Star Predictor Score). A predictive model that’s hit the bullseye more often than not when it comes to forecasting NFL quarterback greatness. The same metric that identified stars like Mahomes and Joe Burrow just gave Dart a perfect score.

And it’s not just analytics that have folks talking. Dart brings the full package: strong arm, deep-ball precision, mobility, and that fiery confidence—aka moxie—that all the elite QBs seem to have hardwired into them.

Let’s not forget his monster 2024 season at Ole Miss, where he led the SEC with a 69.3% completion rate and racked up 4,279 passing yards, along with a rock-solid 29-6 TD-to-INT ratio. Talk about putting up video game numbers. Now, don’t expect him to take the reins immediately—the Giants are playing the long game. But make no mistake, they believe Dart is the guy to lead them into a new era starting in 2026.