‘Huge Step’: Jaxson Dart Offers High Praise For New Ole Miss QB1 Austin Simmons
The Ole Miss Rebels are set to go through a transition phase at quarterback this year, and for most teams in the country, that would be reason to expect a step back in on-field production.
For Ole Miss? Not necessarily. At least not according to departing signal caller Jaxson Dart.
Dart is expected to be replaced by Austin Simmons under center, a name who has served as an Ole Miss backup for the last two seasons. Simmons has limited experience in game action, but when he has stepped in during mop-up duty or during a crucial early drive against Georgia for an injured Dart, he has impressed.
And that goes beyond what fans have seen. Dart has worked with Simmons up close, and he offered some high praise for his understudy at the NFL Combine.
“He’s an elite talent. I haven’t really seen anybody like him who can spin the ball with his arm talent,” Dart said. “I’m really excited for him. He’s going to take a huge step leadership-wise this year, and I’m really excited for the team to grow, and I think they’re just going to pick up where we left off.”
Picking up where Ole Miss “left off” could be easier said than done for a quarterback who does not have a collegiate start under his belt. The Rebels have won 10 or more games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1950s and 60s, and although they have fallen short of the College Football Playoff in those two campaigns, it’s undeniable that the program has been on the cusp of a berth in the tournament.
Dart leaves Oxford as a record-setting quarterback, and he has generated some first-round buzz from certain analysts leading up to the NFL Draft in April. Those are big shoes that Simmons has to fill, but Dart seems to be a full believer in his potential to win early and win often as a Rebel.
Simmons’ first collegiate start (if all goes according to plan this offseason) is set to come on Aug. 30 when the Rebels play host to Georgia State at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Ole Miss will then travel to face Kentucky in Week 2 before hosting Arkansas for its SEC home opener on Sept. 13.
