Joel Klatt explains why Jaxson Dart left USC, entered transfer portal

Jaxson Dart‘s decision to leave the USC Trojans and enter the NCAA Transfer Portal came as a shock to some. Lincoln Riley is known for his strong work with developing quarterbacks, and Dart seemed to be next in line when USC hired Riley. Instead, Dart decided to head elsewhere, and another quarterback could be the reason why.

FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt believes that Dart’s decision had less to do with Lincoln Riley, and more to do with the fact that the starting job might not have belonged to him much longer.

“So Jaxson Dart enters the transfer portal. Okay, there is zero reason for a quarterback to transfer away from Lincoln Riley other than he lost his job,” Klatt said. “Because the track record for Lincoln Riley with quarterbacks is too good. There’s nobody else out there doing what he’s doing at this point.

“It’s unmatched when Jalen Hurts is going to the playoffs with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Kyler Murray is doing what he’s doing with the Cardinals. And my favorite, Baker Mayfield has totally transformed the Browns organization even though he gets no credit whatsoever on a show like this. The track record for Lincoln Riley is exquisite in the modern college football for developing players to go to the National Football League.”

Dart is a former four-star quarterback according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

As a freshman at USC, Dart played in six games with three starts. He threw for 1,353 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions. Dart’s best performance of the year was in September against Washington State, where he threw for 391 yards and four touchdowns.

Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams could reunite at USC, leading to Dart leaving

Former Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams hasn’t announced his transfer destination yet, but many expect him to follow his former head coach to USC. It is possible that Dart saw that coming, and he opted to go ahead and enter the portal and begin his search for a new home.

“Caleb Williams has said specifically he’s looking for the place that’s going to set himself up best for his career in the NFL,” Klatt added. “If Caleb Williams is legitimately looking at that and not just an NIL deal, he will end up at USC.”

Dart has kept his recruitment pretty public so far. He has shared many posts on social media from visits to Ole Miss and Oklahoma. Dart’s On3 NIL Valuation has also seen a significant jump since entering the transfer portal.