Award Given Annually to Top Upperclassman Quarterback
BALTIMORE – (Release) Ole Miss football junior quarterback Jaxson Dart has been named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Preseason Watch List, as announced on Tuesday.
(Click here for the entire Watch List.)
Dart is one of 48 quarterbacks nationally who were selected to the watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which is handed out annually to the nation’s top senior or upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class. All 10 FBS conferences as well as a football independent are represented on the list, rounding out this season’s list at 48 of the nation’s leading quarterbacks. This year’s watch list was selected based on career player performance and expectations heading into the 2023 college football season.
Dart, a junior native of Kaysville, Utah, enters 2023 with 4,327 career passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns and 4,984 yards of total offense. He is coming off a strong 2022 campaign as the Rebels’ starting QB, during which he started in 12 of his 13 games played and threw for 2,974 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also rushed for 614 yards and one touchdown on 128 attempts last season.
Dart enters the season ranked No. 4 on the Ole Miss all-time career total offense per play list (7.32; min. 400 plays), No. 13 on the total offense list (3,588) and No. 17 on the passing yards list (2,974). Last year, he was one of just six FBS quarterbacks nationally and one of just two in the SEC (LSU’s Jayden Daniels) at both 2,900 yards passing and 600 yards rushing. His season with the Rebels last year ranks as the sixth-best season in Ole Miss history in total offense (3,588), eighth-best in total plays (490), ninth-best in passing touchdowns (20), yards per pass attempt (8.22) and total offense per play (7.32), and 10th-best in passing yards (2,974), passing attempts (362) and passing efficiency (143.6).
Among his peers nationally, Dart ranked in the FBS top-50 in passing yards per completion (25th, 13.2), total offense per game (30th, 276.0 ypg), yards per pass attempt (32nd, 8.22), passing yards (39th, 2,974), passing efficiency (41st, 143.6) and passing touchdowns (46th, 20). Within the SEC, Dart ranked in the top-10 in passing yards per completion (fifth), passing yards (sixth), passing touchdowns (sixth), total offense per game (sixth), yards per pass attempt (sixth), passing efficiency (seventh), passing yards per game (seventh, 228.8), completions per game (ninth, 17.4) and completion percentage (tenth, 62.4). He also ranked 14th nationally and fifth in the SEC among quarterbacks in rushing yards (614).
The preseason watch list, semifinalists, finalists, and award recipient are selected by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Selection Committee, a group of prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers, and former players. The namesake of the Golden Arm Award, Johnny Unitas, was an 18-year veteran of the NFL, who played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville before joining the Baltimore Colts in 1958. His career passing figures include 2,830 pass completions for 40,239 yards, 290 touchdowns and throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games.
The 2023 award winner will be presented the Golden Arm Award trophy by The Johnny Unitas Educational Foundation President, John Unitas, Jr., as well as other notable attendees at the Golden Arm Award banquet and celebration at the Four Seasons Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland on Thurs., Dec. 7.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
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