Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart opened up on his last ride with teammates and NFL Draft process ahead of Gator Bowl
Jaxson Dart is officially moving on to his NFL Draft preparations after he plays one more game with his Ole Miss teammates against Duke in the Gator Bowl on Thursday.
Dart met with media members this week and opened up a little bit on the importance of his one last ride at Ole Miss and NFL Draft process.
Jaxson Dart on last ride in Gator Bowl
Unlike many top NFL Draft prospects this college football bowl season, Jaxson Dart didn’t opt out, deciding that he just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play with his teammates one last time. Cam Ward (QB, Miami) decided to just play the first half of Miami’s bowl game against Iowa State, then sat out the second, inevitably leading to a loss for his team.
Dart was asked if he would indeed be playing the whole game for Ole Miss from start to finish and he had this to say:
“Of course! There was no doubt in my mind. I had coming in that I was going to play in the bowl game and I’m going to play through it to my fullest extent.”
Dart would not comment on Cam Ward’s absurd choice to play just one half specifically, but it shouldn’t be surprising at all to see Dart so easily deciding to play once more at Ole Miss. He’s always been the team-first leader that Lane Kiffin and the Rebels could rely on.
He was asked about how excited he was to put more on film for NFL scouts in his final game with Ole Miss, and he shared that he was excited for several reasons:
“Yeah, [adding to my tape] is one reason why I’m really excited about [the Gator Bowl]. But at the same time, just being able to play with my teammates. You know, go chase 10 wins and just have a lot of fun doing it. It’s been an honor wearing this jersey so there’s a lot of pride in it.”
Playing again with his teammates was the theme throughout his time with the media, but chasing 10 wins for the second time in a row is impressive. Jaxson Dart has won 28 games over the last three seasons with the Rebels already, winning 11 games just last year.
If he can lead Ole Miss to their 10th win of 2024 against Duke in the Gator Bowl it will be only the second time in program history that the Rebels have posted back to back 10-win seasons. The last time Ole Miss Football won 10 games two years in a row? 1959 and 1960.
When asked about the emotions he’s dealing with Dart played it cool, trying to focus on soaking up every moment as he prepares to play his final game:
“I’m just really living in the moment right now. I’m just trying to take advantage of being with my teammates and really soaking it all in. I’m just going to be where my feet are and I’m sure those emotions will come when it’s time.”
Jaxson Dart on NFL Draft preparations
Following the Gator Bowl Jaxson Dart will immediately begin his NFL Draft preparations as he is set to participate in the Senior Bowl at the end of January, the NFL Combine to end February, Ole Miss’ pro day shortly thereafter, then the NFL Draft to finish out April.
Dart was asked about his Senior Bowl invite (the premier college football all star game) and where he thinks he’ll have an advantage during the NFL Draft process:
“I think I’m going to make some ground up in my interview process. I feel really confident in myself going into those. Then at the same time, I’ve been a starting quarterback in college football since I was a freshman when I was 17 or 18 years old so I have a lot of tape. There’s a lot of tape for coaches to go through, so I feel like my product’s been on display for the past four years.”
Jaxson Dart finishes his career at Ole Miss as the all-time leader in passing yards. He wrapped up the 2024 college football season ranked first in total yards per game, first in yards per play, fourth in total QBR, and fifth in EPA per play among all FBS quarterbacks. Dart is considered by most NFL Draft analysts to be a strong day two prospect right now ranked behind QBs like Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, but he could certainly rise throughout this spring.
