Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart Reveals Spring Break Workout With Receivers

Jaxson Dart might have been on spring break, but he was working his way to dominance with his two top targets.

Some people use spring break as a time to relax and break away from the hardships of life.

For Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, his time away from Oxford earlier this month was used for another throwing session as the Rebels prepare to go on a run in the expanded College Football Playoff.

Dart headed back to California for more practice while working out on the beach. Alongside him were Jordan Watkins and Tre Harris, Ole Miss' top returning targets and breakout players on the Peach Bowl-winning roster.

Harris and Watkins followed the pack after Dart announced earlier this offseason he'd be headed back to The Grove for a 'last dance' send-off in 2024. The time away from Mississippi served as a bonding moment for the trio, though they've been close since hitting their stride last season en route to an 11-2 program-setting finish.

“It wasn’t even as much of me inviting them. It was guys coming up to me going, ‘Hey, what are you doing during Spring Break? I want to get some work in,'” Dart said last week. “Tre and ‘J-Wat’ came out and I thought it was just great, especially me coming off the injury, being able to throw again and try to get as much reps as I can with them just because I’m not doing as much on the field at practice right now. So, it was great to have those guys out there with me.”

Nov 4, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) reacts as he

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Dart confirmed he underwent ankle surgery following the Peach Bowl win against Penn State and is near 100 percent. Even though Rebels coach Lane Kiffin mentioned that Dart would be limited at practice, it's more a precautionary concern over a long-term issue.

Pressure is on Dart to build off last season. He's the clear-cut starter for the first time since joining the program back in 2022 out of USC. In Year 1, he battled Luke Altmyer in practice for first-team reps after Matt Corral headed to the pros.

Last spring, Kiffin ensured Dart earned the title of QB1 over Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders, keeping the competition alive until Week 1's win over Mercer.

It's Year 3 for Dart and Kiffin. This is where everything is supposed to click with no stone being left unturned. The minor mistakes are simple blips on the radar from what's expected to be a promising season at Vaught-Hemingway. As for Dart, he's planning on being the right man to guide the program into the future.

“I want to be the best quarterback in the country. That’s my goal day-in-and-day-out," Dart said. "I look at what I can be doing, the little things throughout the day. Time management, whatever it may be, to put my all into this. At the end of the day it comes down to winning. Trying to be more of a leader in all regards and I want to be a guy people can look to, good times or bad.”

The Rebels return to practice in preparation for the annual Grove Bowl spring game on April 13. Ole Miss opens the 2024 season at home against FCS Furman on August 31.