Lane Kiffin says Ole Miss quarterbacks are doing really good in competition

As Week 1 creeps nearer, the Ole Miss quarterback competition rages on, with a number of quarterbacks — Spencer Sanders, Jaxson Dart and Walker Howard — all vying for the job. At a recent press conference, head coach Lane Kiffin was mum about which quarterback might be the leader in the clubhouse right now.

Kiffin did seem to hint that Sanders, an Oklahoma State transfer entering his final year of eligibility, and Dart, the returning starter who transferred in from USC after the 2021 season, are perhaps the top two. Both of them have significant starting experience.

“Now it’s weird for me to say ‘I don’t know’ because I’m supposed to be the one who knows. But I don’t know,” Kiffin said when asked about his best 11 players for either side. “It’s challenging. Both guys do a lot of really good things. Both guys have played a lot. Go back to ‘SC at the end, this is Jaxson’s third year of starting. Spencer’s probably started as many as anybody in the country. So it’s challenging but it’s an awesome obstacle to have, to have that battle like that. And also have multiple guys instead of one guy. I think it makes it better and makes our team better.”

Along with starting 12 of 13 games for the Rebels a season ago, Dart played in six games and started three at the tail end of his freshman season at USC prior to his transfer to the SEC.

Sanders, who played for four years at Oklahoma State, has 41 starts in 43 games played. However, he was slightly behind the eight ball after being injured in spring.

Kiffin has been pleased by his progress this fall, noting Sanders has been unhampered by any injury.

“Spencer’s healthy now, not the case all of spring. He’s done some really good things in live, scrimmage-type situations,” Kiffin said.

Howard, an LSU transfer, is a sophomore and seemingly taking a backseat to the more experienced quarterbacks. But among all the quarterbacks, Kiffin has seen some improvement, crediting position coach Charlie Weis Jr. for working with them.

“So, they’ve done a really good job and a lot’s on that position here to be able to function. And I think they’re all doing really good. I know that’s pretty general but, the younger guys really grasped on to learning the system and doing a good job. Older guys have improved,” Kiffin said.