Ole Miss landed two new quarterbacks out of the transfer portal to add to their talented QB room, which is only beginning to get interesting
OXFORD, Miss.– Standing at a lectern yesterday was one of college football’s finest: Lane Kiffin. The undoubted Ole Miss legend has quite the decision coming up in the coming weeks as the Rebels make their way through spring camp.
The Rebels currently have three starting-caliber quarterbacks, and all are vying for just one spot this spring. Ole Miss returner Jaxson Dart comes in as the anticipated QB1– although nothing is guaranteed. The Rebels also scored two blue bloods in the transfer portal this past offseason, with Spencer Sanders making the transition from the Big 12 in Oklahoma State and Walker Howard, a former five-star bigwig who redshirted his freshman season at LSU.
Kiffin, having helmed the Rebels for three years now is undoubtedly impressed and excited with the battle in the early stages of Ole Miss’ spring ball schedule.
“I’m sure you have quarterback questions,” Kiffin said in his post-practice presser. “All the guys practiced today and rotated in there. So, they all looked good.”
Dart has the reins as of now, coming into the 2023 spring ball grid as their returning starter from last year. Dart threw for 2,974 yards and 20 touchdowns to 11 interceptions in his 13 games started in Oxford. Dart is no stranger to the transfer portal himself as he came from Los Angeles’ USC in 2022 to win the starting job in the spring of that year. Dart has positioned himself well enough by leading the Rebels to a 8-4 record and a bowl game appearance which they lost against Texas Tech.
“Jaxson is throwing really well,” Kiffin said. “Actually was out in California. Got to be at the same place as (Kiffin’s son) Knox throwing. His dad was out there and commented on that. Looks like in the last season, first year playing so much he’s had some time to recover. He’s gotten stronger and just looks really good. Much improved, so that’s exciting.”
But as we all know, with the rise of the transfer portal and the new age of college football, it doesn’t matter if you’re Matt Leinart or have just led your team to a national championship– no job is safe. Enter in the competition, two high-quality, ready-to-start quarterbacks picked fresh from the portal, courtesy of Lane Kiffin.
“I just see it being very competitive,” he said. Kiffin commented on the quality and depth of the quarterback room as being a diufferent dynamic than last year, with this year being interesting as Spencer Sanders tore up the Big 12 during his time at Oklahoma State.
Sanders was named a 2021 All-Big 12 honoree, but was limited in his 2022 season due to a shoulder injury. When news broke that Sanders was due for Oxford, questions arose on whether he’d be ready for spring ball with him still nursing his shoulder, but as of yesterday– he’s locked and loaded and ready to take the Rebels’ starting quarterback spot.
Sanders’ numbers have been solidly consistent throughout his four-year college career, hovering around 2,000 passing yards nearly every season. He’s seen as a dual-threat quarterback, with 391 rushing yards in 2022 and 698 in 2021– his banner season. He’ll be an interesting dynamic for Kiffin, who brought his offensive philosophy over from FAU in 2020 and has fostered the likes of running-game QBs such as the Carolina Panthers’ Matt Corral.
Howard played his 2022 season at LSU, if you can call it playing. He slung four passes all year, completing two of them. He redshirted his freshman year in Baton Rouge and made the switch to Ole Miss this season, and is a true blue-chip recruit by nature. Walker Howard was a former five-star recruit out of Lafayette, Louisiana and has proved that he has earned that title. He completed 155-of-259 passes for 2,394 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior in high school.
Rumors have swirled that Howard was told he’d sit no lower than number two on the Ole Miss depth chart, which likely swayed his decision in the portal. With three quarterbacks all duking it out on one of college football’s biggest stages and at one of its most esteemed programs, it’ll be interesting to see where each one falls. Howard was also informed that Sanders would be coming to Ole Miss, another wrench in the overall script.
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“We’ve got a long time ‒ spring and fall – to figure it out, let guys play,” Kiffin said.
“To have two returning starting quarterbacks [Dart, Sanders] and a very high-profile recruit [Howard] in there that redshirted last year is really good,” he said, “and a lot different than once Luke [Altmeyer] decided to transfer.”
“The goal is to improve the depth of every room that you have,” he said. “That’s when you become a really good team. I think that if there was some rating of the quality of the room, I would certainly think that that room’s improved from where it was a year ago.”
No matter who wins the job, one thing is for certain, the loser will almost definitely seek a transfer if not enter the portal. The opening of a new transfer portal window starting May 1st and going through the 15th offers new opportunities for players who have possibly lost the job throughout spring ball.
Nearly every quarterback in every big-time QB battle last season in the spring that didn’t end up the starter left for better chances somewhere else. On the flip side, QBs that won in the spring shouldn’t think it’s all hunky-dory as new competition can sneak up on you throughout the summer.
Ole Miss will be entering a very competitive SEC with the likes of Alabama, Tennessee, reigning national champions Georgia, and soon enough Texas and Oklahoma. This quarterback they choose must be enough for them to push on throughout a hard fall with a lot of expectations on the quarterback room.
