Lane Kiffin addresses quarterback situation following latest practice

With Ole Miss football kicking off its fall camp Wednesday, one of the biggest questions is who coach Lane Kiffin will choose as the starting quarterback. It’s currently a three-way race between redshirt freshman Luke Altmyer, USC transfer Jaxson Dart and junior Kinkead Dent.

Kiffin met with media after practice Saturday, where he provided an update on how the competition has been progressing throughout the first few days of camp. Although he didn’t single out any one player, he praised the group as a whole for its improved accuracy during Saturday’s session.

“All of the guys are getting a lot of plays,” he said. “We run two fields as you guys know. Both fields are really important, especially in the fall because you’ve got better numbers. You’ve got some good players down there on the other field to throw to and look at. All three have done some good things and some bad things.

“I thought we were more accurate today. We have not been accurate on middle-to-deep throws and that was the emphasis of the day. They responded to that instead of overthrowing these long foul balls.”

Altmyer and Dart appear to be the frontrunners for the job, as they were the pair that started the Rebels’ spring game in April. Neither quarterback was very accurate in that game as both completed less than half of their passes.

Altmyer at least has the advantage of having already spent a year in the system, appearing in four games last year while backing up Matt Corral. When Corral injured his ankle in the Sugar Bowl, it was Atlmyer who filled in, throwing for 174 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He also was highly rated as a recruit, coming in as the No. 26 quarterback according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average.

As for Dart, also a member of the 2021 class, he ranked as the No. 7 quarterback prospect. He also ranked as the No. 4 quarterback in the transfer portal according to On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings. Dart started three games for the Trojans this past season, finishing with 1,353 yards passing, nine touchdowns and five interceptions. His best game came on Sept. 18 against Washington State, as he threw for a season-high 391 yards and four touchdowns.

Lane Kiffin has previously said he plans to take his time when it comes to making a decision on the starting quarterback. However, with the Rebels set to kick off the season on Sept. 3 against Troy, the clock is ticking.