Rebels’ Dart named to Davey O’Brien watch list
Credit: Ole Miss Athletics
Aug. 8, 2024 – Ole Miss football senior quarterback Jaxson Dart has been named to the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award preseason watch list, as announced by the Davey O’Brien Foundation on Thursday.
Dart is among 36 quarterbacks added to the watch list for the Davey O’Brien Award, the nation’s oldest annual national quarterback award. Of those 36, Dart is among 22 seniors, six from the SEC and one of 11 returning semifinalists from 2023.
Dart – already a member of the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award watch lists – is coming off the best season of his career in 2023 after leading Ole Miss to its first 11-win season in program history. Dart concluded the season 233-of-358 (65.1 percent) for 3,364 yards, 23 touchdowns and only five interceptions (tied for the fewest in single-season Ole Miss history with at least 200 attempts). Dart was also highly effective on the ground, notching 389 yards and eight scores on 119 total carries.
Dart was among the SEC’s best in all the major categories and was ranked top-20 nationally in yards per attempt (eighth, 9.4), yards per completion (10th, 14.4), total offense (16th, 288.7 YPG) and total passing yards (20th, 3,364). His 2023 season also ranks among the best ever by a Rebel quarterback, ranking second in passing efficiency (162.4), second in yards per attempt (9.4), third in completion percentage (65.1), third in yards per completion (14.4), fourth in total touchdowns responsible for (31), tied for fourth in 300-yard passing games (5), fifth in passing yards (3,364), fifth in total offense (3,753) and sixth in passing touchdowns (23).
Entering his final season with the Rebels in 2024, Dart also stands within striking range of several career records in Ole Miss history. At the moment, Dart ranks third all-time in passing efficiency (153.0), third in yards per attempt (8.8), third in yards per completion (13.8), fourth in completion percentage (63.8), fifth in passing yards (6,338), fifth in total offense (7,341), tied for sixth in passing touchdowns (43), tied for sixth in 300-yard passing games (7), tied for sixth in total touchdowns responsible for (52), seventh in completions (459) and 10th in attempts (720).
The official Davey O’Brien Midseason Watch List will be released on Tues., Oct. 22, and will contain active quarterbacks from the Preseason Watch List, players honored as weekly Great 8 recipients through the season’s first eight weeks and any additional quarterbacks approved by the selection subcommittee.
The Midseason Watch List will be cut down to the 35-player Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2024 on Tues., Oct. 29, and first-round fan voting will begin following the announcement. The list of semifinalists selected from the QB Class will be named on Tues., Nov. 12. The Foundation will announce the three finalists two weeks later (Tues., Nov. 26). The 2024 Davey O’Brien Award winner will be unveiled live on ESPN on Thurs., Dec. 12, during The Home Depot College Football Awards. The 48th annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner honoring the winner will be held Mon., Feb. 17, 2025 at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Davey O’Brien Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935.
