Zach Evans explains why not knowing Ole Miss' starting QB won't impact the RBs

Zach Evans, Ole Miss’ heralded TCU transfer running back, is certain to be featured in the Rebels offense this season. But who will be giving him the ball between quarterbacks Jaxson Dart — a USC transfer — and Luke Altmyer remains to be seen, as head coach Lane Kiffin is yet to pick a starter.

Evans, speaking to reporters ahead the season opener against Troy, said that things don’t really change for him or fellow running backs even when who is playing quarterback does. One reporter asked whether Evans changes anything in his approach based on which quarterback plays.

“Not at all. I mean, we gone keep pushing. We’re all a team,” Evans said. “We’re gonna obviously let Lane and them figure out that side of the ball out. But, other than that, running backs just worry about running backs. You gotta mow your own grass, stay in your own lane, keep pushing, stacking your days.”

Altmyer and Dart, both sophomores, present the Rebels coaching staff with two good options, given how far the camp contest has run.

Dart played in six games as a freshman at USC in 2021, throwing for 1353 yards and posting nine TDs to five interceptions. When he transferred to Ole Miss, it was natural to slot him in as a replacement for the outgoing Matt Corral, now with the Carolina Panthers.

Instead a quarterback competition with Altmyer, a four-star recruit out of Starkville, has run nearly to the wire at fall camp. Altmyer appeared in four games last season and had just 37 passing attempts, but has one more year at Ole Miss than Dart has — a head start that surely paid dividends.

But no matter who is at quarterback for Ole Miss, Evans, a former five-star recruit from Texas, will be ready to take handoffs and catch passes.