Jaxson Dart, Spencer Sanders talk quarterback competition days before season opener

May 31, 2023

Aug. 29—OXFORD — Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin told reporters Monday he had not determined who would be starting at quarterback against Mercer Saturday afternoon.

No news was broken on that front Tuesday either, but both contenders for the job — junior Jaxson Dart and senior Spencer Sanders — met with the media to discuss the ongoing quarterback competition.

"My mindset is trying to be the best quarterback in the country," Dart said. "So, I just want to push myself every single day. I have great competition around me that's helping me do that."

Dart started 12 of 13 games last season, his first with the Rebels after transferring from USC. He threw for 2,974 yards, 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and rushed for an additional 614 yards. He played in six games (three starts) as a true freshman at USC, throwing for 1,353 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions.

Dart was asked if it was frustrating or put a chip on his shoulder to not have been named the Week 1 starter yet.

"Yeah, I think so," Dart said. "Absolutely."

Sanders started 41 games at Oklahoma State prior to joining Ole Miss in the winter. He was named first-team All-Big 12 in 2021 and threw for 9,553 yards, 67 touchdowns and 40 interceptions in his four seasons and added 1,956 yards and 18 scores on the ground.

Dart and Sanders both said they had not yet been told what their roles would be come Saturday's season opener at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium against Mercer, who won its Week 0 game 17-7 against North Alabama in the FCS Kickoff Classic. Sanders was asked how he was handling the uncertainty following his leading role with the Cowboys.

"You just kind of take it one day at a time," Sanders said. "Control what you can control."

Dart said he is extremely comfortable in offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr's system — he said he is "able to play with no hesitation" — and Sanders said he has a good grasp on the playbook as well, though he admits he has "a couple difficulties ... here and there with new things" in terms of operating the system.

Sanders was also asked what his relationship with Dart was like.

"I would say it's pretty good. I wouldn't say it's bad. I wouldn't say we go out and get ice cream together when we're at home, but we're cordial," Sanders said. " ... We talk to each other, how we help each other. He's helped me actually quite a bit. Obviously, he's been here, he knows the offense. You want to be the best at the offense, you know you at least have another person who was the best here before you got here. So, you learn things."

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