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Gator Bowl the ‘last ride’ for Jaxson Dart, who’s accepted a Senior Bowl invite

Ben Garrettby:Ben Garrett•about 23 hours•

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Nov 23, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) warms up before a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Jaxson Dart has known for weeks the Gator Bowl would be his final game in an Ole Miss uniform. 

Still, the third-year star quarterback made the news official on Friday. Dart declared for the NFL Draft. He also accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl, joining his Rebel teammates Princely Umanmielen, Trey Amos, Jared Ivey and Caden Davis.

No. 14 Ole Miss (9-3, 5-3 SEC) takes on Duke (9-3, 5-3 ACC) in Jacksonville, Florida, on January 2, 2025. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

“Words cannot express the depth of my feelings and emotions,” Dart wrote in a statement released on social media. “Thank you for the love and support that y’all have shown me at Ole Miss. I really and truly came of age at this great university.

“I did everything in my power to make y’all proud as a person and player and gave it everything I had to bring you wins, success and excitement.

“We have unfinished business. I can’t wait to put on that No. 2 Ole Miss jersey for one last ride with my guys before beginning preparation for the 2025 NFL Draft.”

Dart this season became the school’s all-time leader in career passing yards. 

He passed Eli Manning. His 10,213 yards are the 10th-most in SEC history. He’s thrown for 68 touchdowns and rushed for 1,455 career yards and 12 additional scores.

Dart owns the most wins (26) of any Ole Miss quarterback since Archie Manning in 1968.

“Ultimate leader every day by example,” now-sixth-year Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin said in response to Dart’s statement. “Completely selfless. He didn’t just write that down and post it; he lived it every day. 

“We are blessed to have you as a teammate.”

RELATED: Jaxson Dart can’t avoid reminders his days as an Ole Miss Rebel are coming to an end

Dart had a 92.8 PFF grade this season, the second-best mark among all college quarterbacks. 

Dart and eight other Rebels were named All-SEC by the league coaches. He became the first Ole Miss signal-caller to pick up the honors in eight years. Dart’s poised to pass Matt Corral for the single-season record for yards per pass attempt. Dart’s at 10.7. Corral averaged 10.2.

“He’s been an amazing leader,” Kiffin said earlier this month. “Set a bunch of records here, but how he’s been as a leader and how he’s been for this university has been awesome. (The Gator Bowl) is another example of it, making sure he finishes what he started.”

Dart is currently second behind Corral in career completion percentage (65.3). 

Dart, a one-time transfer from USC, has completed 703 of his 1,083 career attempts. Corral holds the record at 67.3 percent. He’s fourth in the nation in passing yards (3,875).

“Guys like (Dart) are the ones that give defensive coordinators nightmares,” Duke head coach Manny Diaz said. “You add the experience and intangibles of who he is, teams and offenses usually respond to leaders like that. Looks like why they’ve had the success that they’ve had.”

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