What’s next for Ole Miss after Jaxson Dart’s official final game?

OXFORD, Miss. — The announcement earlier in the week from Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart was expected, but some folks still figuring out what’s next.

After a three-year starter leaves, there will be a lot of questions about what’s coming next. Most fans know full well redshirt freshman Austin Simmons is the next man up and the upside there is big.

With two seasons now under Lane Kiffin’s coaching, he probably knows what’s expected. He’s also had the complete quarterback to study in Dart. If Simmons picked up any of what’s required as not just throwing passes, but leading a team the Rebels will be fine.

There’s always that thing about left-handed quarterbacks, though. We all think they look strange because we just don’t get to see very many.

Kenny Stabler at Alabama was the first one I remember seeing. It just looked weird to see an Alabama quarterback throwing with the opposite arm but it was usually accurate. The way he ran, holding the ball like a loaf of bread in that left hand also looked totally cool to a 10-year-old, but coaches weren’t fond of it in the 1960’s.

Even the legendary Alabama coach at the time, Bear Bryant, had one of his usual quips when asked about him between Stabler’s junior and senior seasons.

“Left-handed quarterbacks are like left-handed crap shooters,” Bryant said at the time. “You just never really know what’s going to happen.”

Ole Miss Rebels backup quarterback Austin Simmons throws a passin the pocket against the Arkansas Razorbacks this season. / Nilsen Roman-HottyToddy Images

What he meant at the time was it could be great or it could go the other direction, but it was usually going to be interesting to watch. Simmons wears No. 13, too, so whichever direction you go on that, feel free.

Now Kiffin will get to find out. The sample size for fans, though, was small this past season. Most of his action was coming in for a snap or two after one of Dart’s occasions where he lost his helmet (which seemed to happen a lot). Seeing him first-hand in the game at Arkansas, it appears he’s got the technical parts in fairly good shape.

It’s that experience, though. Dart’s leadership and experience are going to be probably the two main missing ingredients. That probably can’t be replaced immediately.

He’s also going to need a backup and it may be a position Kiffin is exploring in the transfer portal. Freshman AJ Maddox seems to be a capable backup, but Simmons will be the projected front-runner going into spring practices.

At that point we’ll just be curious about what Ole Miss has at quarterback. We may think we know, but we won’t really know until next fall.