Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart Ranked Among Top 'Gunslingers' in College Football

Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart has superb talent, but he's also not afraid to take some calculated risks on the gridiron.

Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart throws downfield in his team's win over the Arkansas Razorbacks in 2023. / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The term "gunslinger" can carry positive and negative weight in the world of college football, but Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart has shown an ability to use that skillset to his advantage since arriving in Oxford.

Recently, 247Sports ranked the 10 best returning "gunslingers" for the 2024 campaign, utilizing metrics provided by Pro Football Focus, including their "big-time throw" metric and average depth of target. In order for a toss to qualify as a big-time throw, it has to be a "pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window."

Dart came in at No. 6 on this list from 247, and you can view an excerpt from the piece below.

6. JAXSON DART, OLE MISS

Big Time Throws: 20 | Average Depth of Target: 10.5

Dart actually threw five fewer big-time throws last season than in 2022 but was far more efficient, halving his interceptions (11 to 5) and tossing for nearly 400 more yards on the same amount of dropbacks (415). Ole Miss will be a big-play, quick-hitting offense once again in 2024.

That's a numbers-based assessment for what we saw with our eyes in 2023. Dart took noticeably-better care of the football than he did the year prior, but he didn't allow that to affect his overall production. He increased his passing yardage total (2,974 to 3,364) and touchdowns (20 to 23) all while cutting back on turnovers.

It's numbers like this that make Dart a candidate for a Heisman campaign in 2024, and he is already among some of the betting favorites for the award this offseason. In his mind, however, the primary goal is a College Football Playoff berth for a program that has never reached that pinnacle.

Dart and others (like wide receiver Tre Harris) helped Ole Miss fill some holes on its roster this offseason as well, serving as "recruiters" that sold transfer portal prospects on Oxford and Lane Kiffin's program. The upcoming season has been dubbed "The Last Dance" for Dart and those who look to go pro in 2025 and beyond, so they have a lot riding on this year's success.

With the expansion of the College Football Playoff to include 12 teams this season (and a strong roster in its grasp), the chances for Ole Miss to compete for a national championship have never been higher. The Rebels will only go as far as their quarterback leads them, however, and his "gunslinger" mentality will be a big key in the end result.

Ole Miss will open its season at home against the FCS Furman Paladins on Aug. 31.