Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart, WR Jordan Watkins talk ‘The Last Dance’ and their Mentality Heading into Possible Playoff Season
OXFORD, Miss. – This past week following the first practice of fall camp, members of the media were allowed to speak with a select group of Ole Miss football players with QB Jaxson Dart and WR Jordan Watkins among those available.
The two veterans of the Ole Miss offense spoke about why they returned for their final season, the improvements they’ve worked on, what this year means to them and much more. Here are some of the highlights from my time speaking with Dart and Watkins.
The Last Dance
Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart officially announced his return for one last season, ‘The Last Dance,’ following the Rebels’ win over Penn State in the Peach Bowl last season. From that point on, Ole Miss has been one of the main talks of the college football world with Dart right in the middle of it.
The Heisman darkhorse finished 2023 with 3,755 total yards and 31 total touchdowns. Dart is expected to do even bigger things in 2024 with many more weapons surrounding him. I asked the Rebel quarterback how important it is to be entering a third year under the same offensive system.
“Another year in the system, you’re obviously just going to get better, but it’s also brought in new roles for me from a leadership standpoint. I’m really happy with where we’re at. I try to not look at myself and (instead) look at the team as much as I can to try to build the culture and the things that are most important. I think we’re in a really good spot. We just have to keep putting our best foot forward each and every day.“
~ Dart on entering year three at Ole Miss
On the other end of Dart’s passes, veteran wideout Jordan Watkins was also one of the many members of the 2023 squad who decided to give it one more shot in 2024. I asked the senior leader what ultimately helped him decide to return to Ole Miss for one last season.
“I knew we were going to have a special team coming back…we basically all just sat down and talked to each other and was like this might be the year that we’re able to do it with the new playoff rules and things like that. If we would have had the season that we had last year, this upcoming season, we would have been in the college football playoffs. So just having that opportunity, it doesn’t come very often. A lot of the guys just really talked to each other, and we all decided to come back. So, for something special.“
~ Watkins on returning for his senior year
Improving for 2024
With 741 yards receiving in 2023, Watkins was already a part of a talented room with that number still being third on the team behind Tre Harris and former Ole Miss receiver Dayton Wade. The situation is not any different this year for the big play threat with ‘Juice’ Wells and Deion Smith transferring in.
However, Watkins continues to work on his craft to continue to be that reliable third-down target he was a season ago.
“I think the biggest thing that I worked on is my change of direction, being able to do more things without the ball. With the ball in my hands, instead of just being a possession receiver, being able to take an out route 70 yards if I need to, just being able to make people miss. That’s been a huge flaw in my game that I’ve been missing and just working on that this off season and making that better.“
~ Watkins on improving his game
Jaxson Dart’s mentality for 2024
Last season everyone watching could tell that improvements were made within Jaxson Dart’s game, and not just on the field but mentally as well. The Rebel quarterback stepped into a leadership role during the course of the 2023 season that has only grown as we head into the current days of fall camp.
Dart has been asked several times this offseason about his goals for 2024 and leaving a legacy is at the forefront. However, I wanted to know what the already well-polished signal caller worked on the most during his time off this summer.
“I think it’s just my daily habits. Trying to be disciplined and consistent in what I do. I have a lot of motivation going into this year and I really want to leave a legacy behind and do something that’s never been done here. That’s kind of my focus…really just excited for the season, excited for the guys, and we’re ready to get to it.“
~ Dart on his mentality for 2024
Up Next
The Ole Miss football team will continue their fall camp practices throughout the remainder of the summer leading up to week one in the Vaught against Furman on August 31st. Stay tuned for more updates on fall camp as we cover practices, press conferences and more.
Kameron Wicker
Kam is a senior at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he's from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn't stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He's a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.
