OXFORD — Jaxson Dart has a new look this summer.
The Utah native has a mustache to go along with his long locks.
“My mom hates it,” Dart said, laughing.
Kara Dart can blame Dane Stevens. The Rebels’ senior analyst has urged Dart to grow out the mustache “for the longest time,” Dart said Wednesday, hours after Ole Miss’ first practice of the 2023 season.
“I kind of did a little bit during the spring and I just hated it,” Dart said, “but he told me to go back to it, so I was like, ‘Screw it. I might as well.’”
Dart is used to the facial hair now. He has to trim it here and there, but he said he’s “starting to figure it out a little bit more now. I just wish I could grow it a little thicker.
“I get a lot of mixed reviews on it. My mom doesn’t like it. My dad doesn’t really care that much. I’m just going to go with it for the rest of fall camp.”
Growing facial hair wasn’t easy, Dart said, laughing, noting that it was “sloppy and stringy” for weeks before it finally filled in enough to even be labeled a mustache.
The mustache is a bit of a metaphor for Dart’s comfort level at Ole Miss these days. The Kaysville, Utah, native took a little while to get comfortable in Oxford last year, as he battled Luke Altmyer for the starting job in the spring and summer of 2022 before being named the starter before the third game of the season. Dart also has a new perspective on his role at Ole Miss. Yes, there’s a quarterback competition. Yes, Spencer Sanders transferred to Ole Miss after starting 41 games at Oklahoma State. No, Lane Kiffin hasn’t named a starter some 30 days ahead of the Rebels’ Sept. 2 opener versus Mercer.
Still, Dart isn’t letting any of those things impact his mindset.
“I feel like my role on the team is the quarterback of this team and I don’t think anything has ever changed or wavered in my mind about that,” Dart said. “I have no doubt in my abilities or in my progression. I feel like I’m in a really good spot with myself and how this team’s coming along. I feel like my role is just to lead them and that’s my approach every single day.”
Dart said he felt himself emerge as a leader last season as he became more and more comfortable in a new offense, a new part of the country, new teammates and more.
“As I compare myself from last year to this year, I think the biggest thing is just, like me and Coach (Charlie) Weis just talked, we wanted to make it to a point where I was like another coach on the field. He’s been such a great asset for me to use, to pick his brain, and I feel like my knowledge of the scheme of football and stuff like that has just expanded so much.
“I can’t even compare how I feel right now to last year. I feel like I’m so much farther along. I’m getting to the point where I’m not even worried so much with our offense and that side of things. I feel like I have that down like the back of my hand, so I’m learning about the defense and picking the defensive coaches’ brains and stuff like that about pre-snap reads. I feel like that’s helped a lot.”
Dart had never played in run-pass option (RPO) offense prior to last season, not in high school or in his one year at USC. Dart was very good at Ole Miss last season, completing 226 of 362 passes for 2,974 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also rushed for 614 yards and a score. The 11 interceptions, however, was a stat that Dart really wanted to correct as he prepares for his junior year.
“Most of my picks last year came off RPOs,” Dart said. “I just think at times, looks of defenses would get a little gray to me and there were things I hadn’t really seen before and there was a learning curve for me.”
After an excellent spring, Dart’s summer was going phenomenally. Then he suffered a meniscus injury.
“It was definitely, for sure, unexpected. Injuries happen and whatnot, but it was pretty frustrating for a little bit just because during our player-run practices and stuff like that, I felt like I’d been playing my best ball,” said Dart, who was wearing a sleeve on his left leg Wednesday. “Hitting a bump in the road was a little bit frustrating but I was able to come back the last week of our summer conditioning and I felt right up to speed. I was able to have my quarterback trainer come out from California for a few days. It was super nice to have him to meet up and then right before camp, I went to see him, so I feel I’m in a good spot now.”
Dart said he’s about 90 percent healthy at this point, adding he’ll likely need a week or two to get to 100 percent healthy.
Dart said he’s focusing this preseason, as he did in the spring, on eliminating the turnovers. He was basically perfect in that regard in the spring.
“I feel like that’s been a huge point of emphasis from last season,” Dart said. “I think the turnover margin and explosive plays are what decide the winner of games. I feel like if I just take away my turnovers and mistakes here and there, I’ll be able to take my game to the next level.”
The mustache, on the other hand, might not make it to the opener.
“I just want to see how it looks at the end of camp and then make a decision,” Dart said.
