USC quarterback Jaxson Dart makes strides post-surgery

USC quarterback Jaxson Dart is just two weeks removed from having knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus suffered against Washington State, but the freshman on Tuesday reached a significant benchmark in his recovery: he attended USC practice in full pads and a knee brace, according to WeAreSC’s Scott Schrader.

#USC QB JAXSON DART on His Way to Practice Tuesday❕✅

📸 @On3USC #FightOn✌🏼 pic.twitter.com/bibLe0uBee

— Scott Schrader (@Scott_Schrader) October 5, 2021

Although Dart returned to practice in full pads, it remains unclear in what capacity the Trojans plan to use him. It’s the first time he’s attended practice in full pads since suffering his Week 3 injury against Washington State. He underwent a minor knee procedure as a result, but a source indicated to WeAreSC’s Scott Schrader that the Trojans hoped Dart would be back by the Utah game — scheduled for this coming Saturday.

Dart made his collegiate debut in Week 3, after coming in for relief for an injured Kedon Slovis, who exited on the opening possession with an injury of his own. At first, it seemed as though Dart might spark a bit of a quarterback controversy in Los Angeles, as he showed flashes of what made him a highly-coveted, four-star recruit: Dart completed 30 of his 46 passing attempts against Washington State, throwing for 391 passing yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for his performance.

Dart appeared to suffer the torn meniscus to his right knee late in the first half of the win over Washington State after getting tackled on a run. Dart grabbed around his knee area after the play and had a noticeable limp through the rest of the game. He wore a knee brace in the second half. 

With Dart unavailable in recent weeks, USC turned back to Kedon Slovis — who enters his third season as USC’s starting quarterback — after X-rays and MRI results on his neck both came back negative. In three seasons, Slovis has thrown for 5,910 yards and 50 touchdowns. This year, Slovis has completed nearly 65 percent of his passes for 1,118 passing yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions.

Dart, a four-star recruit from Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah, ranked No. 6 in the 2021 On3 300, and he’s the third-highest ranked quarterback on the list. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound freshman from Kaysville, Utah, won the 2020 Gatorade Player of the Year Award last season in high school after committing to USC. He kept a 69.6 completion percentage as a senior in high school, throwing for a national-best 4,691 yards and a state-record 67 touchdowns.