Ole Miss Quarterback Jaxson Dart Added to Maxwell Award Watch List
Dart Ranks Seventh Nationally in Total Offense
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – (Release) Ole Miss football quarterback Jaxson Dart has been added to the Maxwell Award Watch List, as announced by the Maxwell Football Club on Thursday as part of its midseason updates to both the Maxwell and Bednarik Award Watch Lists.
Dart is one of 11 new additions in total – as well as among five new quarterbacks – who were added midseason to the watch list for the Maxwell Award, which is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Player in college football. The Maxwell Award has been presented to the College Player of the Year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert “Tiny” Maxwell, who was a former standout at Swarthmore College and a renowned sportswriter and football official.
Dart joins backfield partner Quinshon Judkins on the Maxwell watch list, who was named this preseason.
Ole Miss’ junior signal caller from Kaysville, Utah, Dart is in the midst of an excellent first half to the 2023 season marshaling the Rebel offense that ranks second in the SEC and eighth nationally at 41.7 points per game. On the year, Dart stands 107-of-167 (64.1 percent) for 1,638 yards, 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Dart has also been highly effective on the ground, currently ranking as Ole Miss’ second-best rusher at 302 yards and four touchdowns on 63 carries.
His 323.3 yards of total offense per game rank him second in the SEC and seventh nationally, and he also ranks within the FBS top-30 in yards per completion at 15.3 (No. 9), yards per attempt at 9.8 (No. 9), passing efficiency at 167.8 (No. 12) and passing yards per game at 273.0 (No. 26). Among quarterbacks, Dart ranks second in the SEC in both yards per carry at 4.8 (FBS No. 9) and yards per game at 50.3 (FBS No. 17).
Dart is starting to climb several all-time lists at Ole Miss as well, as he now ranks seventh all-time in career 300-yard passing games (4), eighth in passing touchdowns (32), 11th in total offense (5,528) and 12th in passing yards (4,612). In his overall career combining his totals from his freshman season at USC in 2021, Dart owns 5,965 yards passing, 6,924 yards of total offense, 959 yards rushing (916 at Ole Miss) and 41 passing touchdowns.
Players named were selected by the Maxwell Football Club national selection committee, and these players will be eligible for consideration as semifinalists, which will be announced on Nov. 13. The three finalists will be unveiled on Nov. 28, and the 87th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 7. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards in March 2024.
Maxwell Award Watch List Additions
Drew Allar, QB – Penn State
Carson Beck, QB – Georgia
Jonathon Brooks, RB – Texas
Luther Burden, WR – Missouri
Brady Cook, QB – Missouri
Jaxson Dart, QB – Ole Miss
Ray Davis, RB – Kentucky
Audric Estime, RB – Notre Dame
Ashton Jeanty, RB – Boise State
DJ Uiagalelei, QB – Oregon State
Kimani Vidal, RB – Troy
(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)
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.
