Jaxson Dart, full-time Ole Miss quarterback? Lane Kiffin says it’s headed that way.

Lane Kiffin on Saturday didn’t make an official announcement of Jaxson Dart as his starting quarterback moving forward. 

But Kiffin did admit on the SEC Network the quarterback competition is “headed in that direction.” 

Dart, a transfer from USC, has been in a months-long battle with Luke Altmyer to replace long-gone starter Matt Corral full-time under center. Neither quarterback separated from the other in the spring or during preseason practices in August.

Dart, though, has started two of the season’s first three games, and he’s also widely expected to get the nod when the Rebels (3-0) host Tulsa (2-1) at 3 p.m. CT. 

“I thought in the second half (at Georgia Tech), made some really timely throws that were over people with really good touch,” Kiffin said earlier this week of Dart’s most recent performance.

Ole Miss won 42-0 in its first road test. Dart completed 10 of 16 passes for 207 yards with an interception.

Kiffin added, “He did that during the week. He played faster in the week, where we just coach our way. You’ve got to drop, you got to play fast at quarterback much like the NFL. He’s not been trained that way at all.

“This is a learning process for him, and he looks a lot different.”

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Again, Kiffin didn’t go as far as officially declaring Dart QB1.

However, the race has been headed in that direction since at least the second quarter of a 59-3 Ole Miss blowout of Central Arkansas.

Dart replaced the starting Altmyer with less than two minutes remaining in the second quarter after Altmyer dinged his right (throwing) shoulder, and he proceeded to lead Ole Miss on multiple scoring drives.

Dart had already further solidified his standing by taking most every first-team practice rep while Altmyer was limited. He had a sluggish early going at Georgia Tech, including the interception, but he connected on six of his last seven passes for 115 yards.  

“You’ve got to take every game independent of how you play and what’s going on with it,” Kiffin said, in assessing Dart’s showing in Atlanta. “This was a game where we were playing great defense and running the ball really well, so the last thing we wanted to do was take risks at the quarterback position because you don’t need to. 

“Sometimes you do a little more when you’re in a shootout. I think he definitely learned from it. You don’t like bad things to happen, but if they can happen and you still win, then it’s better it happened than (in) a one-score game you lose.”

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Still, Ole Miss, at least for the time being, will continue to lean on a dynamic rushing attack and stingy Rebel defense.

The Rebels are currently No. 1 in rushing offense in the SEC, and Quinshon Judkins, a true freshman, and Zach Evans, a transfer from TCU, are the only pair of teammates in college football averaging 95-plus yards rushing per game. 

Evans has been dynamic atop the stable, but Judkins, serving as the 1B to Evans, is averaging more yards per carry than any other Ole Miss runner. Or all other SEC players, for that matter.

“He has been unbelievable,” Kiffin said. “The way he makes the first person miss and unique toughness for someone that age. He’s going to be really special.”

Ole Miss currently sits in the Top 25 in the FBS in 10 different defensive categories. The Rebels are No. 2 in scoring defense.

“We got a big challenge ahead of us coming back home,” Lane Kiffin said on the weekly SEC Teleconference call. “We’re hoping for the home crowd to show up (because) we need home-field advantage, especially with the No. 1 passing offense in the country coming in. 

“That would be really great if that happened, and we’ve got to play really well. This is a team that over the years has upset some big teams and taken really good teams to the wire. Very well-coached and very complicated schemes.”