While Jordan Rodgers of the SEC Network has made it clear throughout the offseason that he believes Georgia’s Carson Beck to be the best quarterback in the conference heading into the 2024 campaign, the notable analyst doesn’t think Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart is too far behind.
During a recent episode of SportsTalk Mississippi, Rodgers explained why he has Dart ranked as his No. 2 quarterback in the SEC behind Beck, who Rodgers touted during the conference’s media days as arguably the best signal-caller in all of college football.
“For Jaxson, I have him rated as my second quarterback in the entire SEC. I think really highly of him,” Rodgers said. “I thought the most impressive thing he did last year – aside from just protecting the football [and] cutting his interceptions from 11 down to five – was his ball placement.”
From 2022 to 2023, Dart decreased his turnovers by more than half while upping his completion rate by nearly five points to 65.1%. As Rodgers noted, the USC transfer has visibly gotten better in two years under Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin in giving his receivers a chance to not only catch the ball but pick up additional yardage afterward.
“His ball placement took a huge jump from 2022 to 2023, especially those back shoulder throws to the perimeter to Tre Harris,” the former Vanderbilt quarterback continued. “Up and over the top [and] the intermediate-like seam routes and where he was placing those, he looked like a guy who was in complete command of where he wanted to place the ball.”
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One part of Dart’s game that Rodgers would like to see improved upon is his thought process when on the run. Last season, Dart carried the ball 119 times but failed to slide on multiple occasions finding himself on the wrong end of several big hits.
Rodgers, who was no stranger to running the ball while in college, offered one piece of advice to the NFL first-round hopeful: “Watch Robert Griffin’s highlights in the NFL. Watch highlights of guys that took too many chances and didn’t have an opportunity to continue playing at a high level.”
On paper, Beck and Dart’s stats in 2023 were similar with Beck throwing for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns with six interceptions while Dart tossed for 3,364 yards and 23 touchdowns with five interceptions. However, head-to-head, a better all-around Georgia team allowed Beck to shine brighter than Dart when the Bulldogs welcomed Ole Miss to Athens with a 52-17 stomping that resulted in Kiffin’s infamous “We’ve signed one five-star, they’ve signed 24″ press conference.
Dart, Kiffin, and company will have a chance at redemption when the Rebels’ reloaded roster takes on Georgia in Oxford on Nov. 9 this year.
Rounding out Rodgers’ top SEC quarterbacks
During SEC Media Days, Rodgers didn’t complete his list of top quarterbacks heading into 2024. But he did go ahead and release his top eight as: 1. Carson Beck (Georgia), 2. Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), 3. Quinn Ewers (Texas), 4. Jalen Milroe (Alabama), 5. Conner Weigman (Texas A&M), 6. Brady Cook (Missouri), 7. Graham Mertz (Florida), and 8. Garrett Nussmeier (LSU).
The eight expected SEC starters not included were Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma), Taylen Green (Arkansas), Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee), Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt), Lanorris Sellers (South Carolina), Blake Shapen (Mississippi State), Payton Thorne (Auburn), and Brock Vandagriff (Kentucky).
What did Rodgers say about Mississippi State?
While Rodgers did not rank Baylor transfer Blake Shapen in his top eight, he is expecting a big season out of the senior. The analyst expects Shapen’s dual-threat ability to mesh well with new head coach Jeff Lebby’s explosive offense and in turn, surprise some people.
“Shapen’s not going to be here for four years. You want to try to turn this thing around and get some momentum going, so I think they’re going to use him however they can and however they need to,” Rodgers said, adding that Lebby was a perfect hire for the Bulldogs.
“Jeff Lebby is a guy who can create advantages … He can win with scheme. You’re going to have to win with design, and I don’t think there’s a better play caller outside of Lane Kiffin in the SEC and maybe [Steve Sarkisian] when it comes to in-game adjustments.”
Over his final two seasons at Baylor, Shapen threw for 4,978 yards and 31 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. Overcoming injuries throughout, Shapen has been touted by Lebby as “the guy” when it comes to leading Mississippi State back to the postseason after missing out on a bowl for the first time in 13 years in 2023.
