Quarterback Jaxson Dart has deservedly received plenty of preseason love ahead of one of the most anticipated seasons in Ole Miss football history. Dart has received numerous preseason accolades and is even in the thick of the Heisman conversation, but his response to his own hype might surprise some folks.
Head coach Lane Kiffin has spent a hefty chunk of the offseason preaching about “rat poison.” Kiffin uses this term to refer to preseason headlines, whether they are good or bad, that could serve as a distraction to the Rebels. Ole Miss has been in the spotlight heading into the 2024 season, but with College Football Playoff expectations, Kiffin wants to keep his team focused on the task at hand.
CBS Sports’ Brandon Crawford released his list of the top 10 quarterbacks in college football on Wednesday. In a bit of a surprise, Dart checked in at No. 2 in these rankings, trailing only Colorado’s Shadeur Sanders.
Though the ranking could easily be received as a compliment, Dart knows to take it with a grain of salt. Dart responded to the list on his X profile with two emojis.
Rat poison.
It’s often said that a quarterback is an extension of his head coach, and this absolutely rings true when it comes to the relationship between Dart and Kiffin. Dart has clearly bought into Kiffin’s philosophies when it comes to responding to the media.
Ole Miss fans should be confident in Dart’s leadership heading into a season with an immense amount of pressure to perform. Dart and Kiffin have been around long enough to know that the only rankings that truly matter are the ones that come out when the clock strikes zero on the college football season.
