The 2024 season is going to be extra-special for Ole Miss Rebels HC Lane Kiffin. And that’s because their program has got a ‘Dark Horse.’ It’s none other than their star QB Jaxson Dart. After his sporadic appearances in his freshman season with the USC Trojans, he caught Kiffin’s sight, and Dart transferred to Ole Miss.

He had been named the ‘Portal Prince’ as his talents served as a vital factor in pushing Rebels a step further toward the national championship. Now that Dart got a big thumbs up from bigshots like Eli Manning, there are chances of him giving a tough call to Shedeur and Carson Beck in the 2025 NFL Draft.  

Lane Kiffin’s rising star, Jaxson Dart

Last season Kiffin’s squad had set a program record by claiming 11 victories. This season too the Rebels army is all geared up to break the record. Their luck in the championship revolves around Dart’s talents, which makes him a strong prospect in the Heisman race as well. It has been long since Kiffin’s army has not boasted any serious Heisman contender. Here entered Max Chadwick who gave Dart a new name, “dark-horse” pick. The college football analyst also hailed the No.6 signal-caller for his athletic skills enough to give the rivals a cold sweat. 

Dart moves into the 2024 season recording 1,003 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Besides, his strong numbers, it’s the quintessential Eli Manning factor that gives Lane’s QB that much-needed edge over other competitors in the 2025 NFL Draft- Shedeur Sanders whose high sack percentage is a concerning factor, and Carson Beck whose lacking scrambling capability could leave him in the back seat. And what’s the Manning factor that Dart has been blessed with?

High hopes surround Jaxson Dart’s to keep the Eli Manning legacy alive

June 29 has been indeed a big day for the Ole Miss QB. While training at the Manning Passing Academy, Dart got lucky enough to slip into Eli Manning’s list of favorites. And guess what? The two-time Super Bowl champion went all head over heels. “I’ve been to games, I’ve seen him briefly, but first time really getting to sit down with him…I was able to take some light-hearted digs at him, he reciprocated and did the same to me… Kind of makes it special for the group,” praised Manning. 

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With this, Dart had landed in the legend’s good books so much so that during a talk session he praised the QB as his favorite player for the 2024 race, “And Jaxson. I’m rooting for them. I want (Dart) to break – he’s probably broken all my records – I want him to break all of them. I want him to go have a big year and go get that SEC Championship.”

And what does the calculation say? Jaxson Dart would need 3,782 passing yards this season to beat Manning’s program record of 10,119 career passing yards. In doing so, he will get the primed opportunity to be named after the legend since it will also break Manning’s 3,600 yards record in a particular season. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!