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OXFORD, Miss. -- With training camp now in the rearview mirror, the Ole Miss Rebels are set to begin their 2022 campaign on Saturday versus the Troy Trojans. The only hiccup is that Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin has still not chosen a starting quarterback for his offense.  

Ole Miss has been holding a quarterback competition since sophomore Jaxson Dart transferred in from the USC Trojans in January. Dart has been battling fellow sophomore Luke Altmyer for the starting quarterback role. 

Dart spoke with reporters after practice Monday about how he feels going into his first season in the Southeastern Conference. 

"I'm really excited," Dart said. "Coming from the West Coast, I've never been able to experience an SEC game or an SEC atmosphere. Everyone says everything is bigger in the SEC, so I'm just excited to get out there and compete with the guys."

Dart's first action as a Rebel came during the 2022 Ole Miss spring game in April, but his performance was more on the underwhelming side. The former Trojan discussed how his game has improved since the spring. 

"I definitely feel like there has been a lot of growth," Dart said. "Especially coming from the spring and just having extra time in the offense and being able to improve on the little things. I think the biggest thing is I have a better understanding of the offense and I'm in better rhythm with [my teammates]."

Dart mentioned the one thing that has helped him elevate his game to the next level this offseason.

"It's really just been time," Dart said. "I've spent more time with coach [Charlie Weis Jr.] going through the offense and learning the different schematics."

Dart also gave his thoughts on Kiffin waiting to choose the starting quarterback and spoke about his mindset going into Week 1. 

"Every coach has their own approach to how they handle these quarterback battles," Dart said. "My mindset going forward is just trying to prepare myself like I'm going to be the starter, and I know Luke [Altmyer] is doing the same thing. At the end of the day, we just want to win, and we're going to do everything in our power to do that."


You can follow Ben King on Twitter at @BKing_2023.

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