OXFORD — Jaxon Dart went to Southern California, at least in part, because of what he perceived to be the Trojans’ stability.

A little more than a year later, the Utah native is in Oxford, Miss., competing for Ole Miss’ starting quarterback job.

Dart admitted Thursday he can’t help but reflect on the last year or so, thinking about all of the unpredictable twists and turns he’s been through.

“If you would’ve told me my first year of college would’ve turned out this way, I would’ve told you were crazy,” Dart said. “It’s been quite a whirlwind, but I’m thankful for where I am.”

Dart started three games as a true freshman at USC, completing 61.9 percent of his passes and throwing nine touchdowns versus three interceptions. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder played in three other games for the Trojans and appeared poised to compete for the job again in 2022 before Clay Helton was fired, ultimately paving the way for USC to hire former Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley. Riley’s hiring, of course, cleared a path for former Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams to transfer to the Trojans.

“I thought going to SC was going to be a little more stable with the coaching staff,” Dart said. “I don’t have just one year. I had to make a decision based on what was best for me for possibly the next three years, so I was trying to find a stable place where I’d be able to surround myself with people who would help me grow and develop as a player and as a person. Because of that, it took a little more time just because I had to dive a little deeper and try to get as much information as I can.”

Leaving USC, even with all of the change, was emotional. It wasn’t until mid-January when Dart finally packed his things, returned to Utah and put a laser-like focus on his next step.

“It was really hard,” Dart said. “Just like the bonds, the connections that I made there, my teammates, my friends, leaving those guys was hard. It was what was best for me to achieve my goals for the future. I kind of like to look back on it with that mindset, but honestly, it was hard.”

Ole Miss, which went 10-3 last season under the direction of Lane Kiffin and quarterback Matt Corral, had Dart’s attention immediately. Oklahoma made a run, as did BYU, but in the end, Dart chose the Rebels.

“Ultimately just seeing the production they had last year, hearing about it on the news when I was playing at SC and watching highlights when I was in the portal and meeting with the coaches, I loved how electric the offense is,” Dart said. “It’s super quarterback-friendly and I love the excitement and everything it carries around with it. I loved how Coach Kiffin has really turned some things around here and brought it back to what it used to be. That was something that really excited me.”

The portal, Dart said, was wild. His phone lit up incessantly.

“When I was being recruited out of high school, my recruitment came really late, so there were a select few schools I was in contact with,” Dart said. “Literally the second I got the email that I was going into the portal, I felt like I couldn’t even look at my phone. I felt like I needed space. It was crazy.”

There have been reports of NIL deals for fellow transfer portal quarterbacks, including seven-figure deals in Los Angeles for Williams. Dart said that wasn’t a driving force for him during his time in the recruiting process.

“I’m not a kid who looks for stuff like that,” Dart said. “I’m a football player. I want to play football and I feel like if I can play good on the field, that stuff will come. That’s my whole purpose. I committed to a school to play football and that’s my whole focus.”

Dart grew up following the Pac-12. Despite that and despite having a year in that league, he said he knew immediately upon entering the portal, he wanted to play in the Southeastern Conference.

“It gets you developed for the NFL,” Dart said. “If you can be successful in the SEC, it’s an easy transition to the NFL. You play better competition week in and week out. You play in really cool environments and you have to make a lot of adjustments. There’s some games in some conferences where you can just have better athletes than other teams and you can just out-play them because you have better athletes. In the SEC, it’s more about scheme. You have to schematically beat them and be smarter than them because they have just as good of players as you do. That was a big reason why I chose the SEC.”

Dart arrived at Ole Miss in late January. Two months later, he’s fighting Luke Altmyer to be Corral’s successor in Oxford. He’s been in crowded quarterback rooms before, so he said there’s comfort in being in a similar position now.

“I came in with another kid (Miller Moss) that was in my class, so for me, I’m in the same position I was in when I first went to SC,” Dart said. “We obviously have the same goals in mind. I think competition brings out the best in both of us. It’s going to push us and help us become better players.”

Dart has the luxury of having significant playing time at the Power-5 level. He’s learned new offenses before, and his knowledge of the game has grown exponentially since high school. He said Thursday new offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. has already installed at least 75 percent of the Rebels’ offense.

“From here on outs, it’s mostly just reps and understanding how guys play, their speed and tendencies and all of that stuff,” said Dart, adding he’s looking forward to showing elements of his game people didn’t get to see last season after he hurt his knee against Washington State, a game he entered after Kedon Slovis left with an injury.

“When I came back, I wasn’t 100 percent,” Dart said. “There are some things with my legs I wasn’t able to showcase. You can’t get complacent. You have to work at everything. I would say the big thing for me is my footwork and my timing with the different concepts we have and getting a good rhythm with that. I feel like if my feet are right, everything will play good.”

For now, though, Dart is adjusting to life in Mississippi, getting to know a new system, a new place and new friends. It’s something he never could’ve envisioned when he was going through spring drills a year ago in Los Angeles.

“I love the aspect that you can come to work every day and focus on football,” Dart said. “There’s not as many distractions around you and there are really good people around you who push you to those goals. …I love the support and how people are involved here. It’s really cool.”