Lane Kiffin addresses Ole Miss' plan at quarterback for season opener

Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin are taking until the last minute to decide who their starting quarterback will be for 2023.

The favorite is Jaxson Dart, who started a myriad of games for the Rebels last season after joining Kiffin’s vision. However, transfer Spencer Sanders from Oklahoma State, along with Walker Howard from LSU, are making it into a fascinating battle.

On Monday, Kiffin revealed Ole Miss hasn’t made their final decision, with Week 1’s showdown with Mercer looming large on Saturday.

“We’ve not made that final decision,” Kiffin answered, regarding who will start for the Rebels at quarterback come Saturday. “We’re very excited about all of the guys. … Both guys did extremely well. Made explosive plays on Saturday.

“The offense as a whole, as well. We’re very confident with either of them.”

Continuing, Kiffin explained what’s going into the process, and why he’s confident in any of the quarterbacks he could go with.

“I just still like to collect information, and still keep practicing. Pushing forward,” added Kiffin. “Like I said, I feel extremely confident in both guys, to win games. Both guys have, on big stages. That’s very unusual to have.

“That’s more like the NFL, where you have veterans like that. So I wouldn’t think many people have that. Two guys who have been on the big stage and performed well, so I’m excited.”

After transferring from USC, Dart started for Ole Miss in 2022 and finished with 2,974 yards, 20 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 62.4% completion percentage.

Dart was the incumbent and looked the favorite to win the job initially. But two transfer quarterbacks with experience and hype changed things at first.

Sanders came to Oxford as a sixth-year player who spent his first five seasons at Oklahoma State. He started in 41 games for the Cowboys from 2019-22, leading them to a 32-9 record while throwing for 9,553 yards, 67 touchdowns and 40 interceptions. He also proved a threat on the ground with 1,956 yards rushing and 18 scores.

Howard has the least experience of the three as he played behind Jayden Daniels as a true freshman at LSU this past season. He ranked as the No. 45 overall prospect in the 2022 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Nevertheless, whether it’s Jaxson Dart or if Lane Kiffin opts to go in a different direction, it should be an exciting season in Oxford, as the Rebels look to continue their upward trend under their coach’s leadership.

On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this article.