Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart looks to apply lessons from the GOAT, Tom Brady
OXFORD, Miss. – Coming off a historic 10-3 season in 2021, Ole Miss Football was tasked with one of its most difficult choices in program history: finding a quarterback to replace NFL draft pick Matt Corral. Fortunately enough, Jaxson Dart, out of Southern California, entered the transfer portal and committed to Ole Miss on January 30, 2022.
As Jaxson was becoming familiar with the Ole Miss Football staff, he found himself in a conversation with Charlie Weis Sr., the father of offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. For those who are unaware, Weis Sr. spent 15 years as an assistant coach in the NFL, including four years as the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots (2000–2004) alongside quarterback Tom Brady.
When talking to Jaxson, Weis Sr. took the time to inform Dart what he believed separated Brady from the other quarterbacks he coached in his career.
“What coach Weis Sr. said was that he (Tom Brady) took responsibility to make a relationship with everybody on the team, regardless of position. I think that when you have a team that can really look at a quarterback and say, ‘Ok, I trust him, I see that he cares more than himself,’ I think that’s something I took to heart… I try to take it day by day and do my part of trying to make this team great, make the culture great, and make genuine relationships to people.”
– Dart on his conversation with Weis Sr
Just as Jaxson pointed out, he took that message to heart, and it has paid off. Not only did he lead Ole Miss to its first 11-win season in history last season, but he played a major role in recruiting the No. 1 transfer portal class (247 Sports) this offseason while helping return a fascinating amount of starting players from the 2023 squad.
Last month, head coach Lane Kiffin spoke on Jaxson’s impressive recruiting efforts.
“I don’t know I’ve seen over time a player actively recruit more to put together a team on both sides of the ball than Jaxson did this offseason. It says a lot about him, says a lot about him as a leader, and I’ve even said someday as potentially a head coach, if he wants to be, because he has really special qualities, and one of them is to get people to follow him.”
– Kiffin on Dart’s leadership qualities
Going off of what Coach Kiffin said, Dart’s ability to connect with players on both sides of the ball has been astonishing. According to defensive lineman Princely Umanmielen, who transferred from Florida, he isn’t used to having a relationship with his quarterbacks.
“He (Jaxson Dart) would call me and FaceTime me all the time. I wouldn’t say it was weird, but in the past, I feel like the quarterbacks were always to themselves or only hung out with one guy, but Jaxson is a team guy. He talks to everybody on the team. It’s still weird to me because I’m used to not ever talking to the quarterbacks.”
– Umanmielen on how Dart recruited him
Comparable to Umanmielen, Arkansas transfer Chris “Pooh” Paul had a similar experience with Dart during his time in the portal. The linebacker stated that Jaxson was one of the first people to reach out to him, and because of that, the two bonded through video games, specifically Fortnite and Call of Duty.
It’s safe to say that a two-year-old conversation with Charlie Weis Sr. still plays a huge part in how Dart handles his business on and off the football field. With all of the pieces put together on this ’24 team, Jaxson will have a prime opportunity to achieve something else Brady was a part of in college, and that was being on a national championship winning team.
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