The search for Ole Miss' next starting quarterback will continue into fall camp
Do not look for the competition between Jaxson Dart and Luke Altmyer to be resolved after Saturday’s Grove Bowl.
The conclusion to Ole Miss’ spring practices will not include putting a bow on the quarterback battle and head coach Lane Kiffin affirmed it will not be resolved anytime soon.
Trying to lock down Matt Corral’s successor has been under a magnifying glass, as everyone expected, since Dart arrived in Oxford back in February and only intensified once spring drills began last month.
Over the past 13 practices it has become apparent to Kiffin that he will not have his quarterback depth chart sorted out when the calendar flips to May.
The biggest factor for this is the up and down play of both Dart and Altmyer during their closed practices and the open scrimmages on Saturdays.
Each has shown some positives but both have also made some glaring mistakes — Dart throwing into tight coverage and the defense picking him off, which happened a few more times last Saturday.
It may be coach speak by Kiffin, but from what has been able to witnessed it seems to be a neck-and-neck race between the two quarterbacks.
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“I think both guys have done good things, made big plays,” Kiffin said after Tuesday’s practice. “Seems like they’re both never on (at the same time). One will have a good day and the other will turn it over and then switch the other day. It’s good competition and doing some new things on offense with the guys and both guys really not a ton of playing time. Jaxson’s had more but it wasn’t with us, so not a ton of carry over.”
Injuries have piled up for the Rebels this spring, especially on offense in key skill groups, which has become another obstacle in the way of trying to sort things out at quarterback.
Jonathan Mingo, Jordan Watkins and other receivers have been out or heavily limited during the spring. Tight ends Michael Trigg and Casey Kelly have also been relegated to the black non-contact jersey at times, though Kiffin said Trigg was back on Tuesday for the first time in a while.
Not having what could be viewed as the main targets, or the starting 11, on the field at the same time with Dart and Altmyer has done nothing but hinder the evaluation process of the competition.
“I would like to think with experience you learn things, so you take all that into account,” Kiffin said. “As a coach you sometimes get down because of the stat sheet. Being a quarterback out there you’re not going to have great pass efficiency without players around you.”
The Rebels practice once more on Thursday before the annual Grove Bowl at Noon CT on Saturday.
