Lane Kiffin on relationship with Jaxson Dart: ‘The way you want your son to be’

As Ole Miss brought their regular season to a close with a victory in the Egg Bowl over Mississippi State, Lane Kiffin reflected on what Jaxson Dart has meant to the Rebels.

From his first trip to Oxford, it was evident Kiffin and his quarterback shared a special bond. After what could be his final game with the Rebels, the program’s leader elaborated on what Dart means to him, and why Ole Miss fans should recognize the quarterback as one of the team’s all-time greats.

“The quarterback, you know, he’s just — he’s awesome. There’s a way you want your son to be, that’s what you want to have,” Kiffin said regarding Dart, via his postgame press conference. “Complete team player. Doesn’t care about stats, anything. He could care less that, you know, he threw 143 yards today. We saw the way he ran. His emotion at the end of the game. Just tried to help him keep it together. Because he cares, man. He cares about this team, he cares about this university. That didn’t happen a lot in college football anymore, if you look around. So, this guy’s special. I hope people appreciate him. Yesterday, (he) became the all time leader, passing Eli [Manning], in the history of the school, and the most wins in the history of the school for a quarterback. So, I’m sure there’s appreciation, but I hope everybody has appreciation for what they watch with this guy, and how he plays the game.

“The guy’s playing with a bad ankle the whole time too. … That’s a lost generation, whatever, in college football. That guy’s passion, that guy — that guy plays the way that like, (former Ole Miss quarterback turned Associate AD for Player Development) Tom Luke talks about this rivalry. You know, the way he talks about how it used to be and how much — Tom won’t drive him a room rental car. Will not. Won’t step foot in one, won’t let anyone give him a ride in one. Like, that’s how Jaxson Dart plays the game. So, he’s just really special.”

It’s evident Kiffin has a lot of love for Dart, and his family, as well. He explained what makes Dart such a special player, and it’s obvious the coach believes his parents had a lot to do with his development.

“We saw some of his high school film, you know, the style that he played, and then really got to know his parents. I mean, like, usually, awesome kids come from awesome parents,” Kiffin added. “Whether that’s how they play, you know, mom runs marathons, you know, and trains every day. Dad was a great defensive player, you know, at Utah. So, that personality is there. But then you have this whole other side.

“I mean, they’re here yesterday, they brought blankets that they had, they brought from Utah, these really awesome blankets that they brought, and hand delivered. Jaxson’s walking up the stairs with his parents, taking him to every single coach up here, just thanking him for helping Jaxson. So, they’re just a really cool family. I’m fortunate to have met them.”

Jaxson Dart helped usher in a new era of success with Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss, and the Rebels are set up handsomely for life without their star quarterback. Whatever he does next in his football journey, he’ll always have the love and support of the fans in Oxford.