Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart rated in Top 10 of Quarterbacks in Mel Kiper’s 2025 Draft Rankings
OXFORD, Miss. — Jaxson Dart will leave Oxford as the winningest quarterback in the modern era for Ole Miss after a highly-decorated, three-year tenure with the Rebels. He will soon be turning his attention to the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft and, according to draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr., Dart is one of the top ten quarterbacks who will be available in the draft.
Kiper, Jr. lists Dart as the No. 7 signal-caller who will be entering the draft.
Mel Kiper’s list of top QBs in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
- Cam Ward, Miami
- Jalen Milroe, Alabama
- Carson Beck, Georgia
- Quinn Ewers, Texas
- Kurtis Rourke, Indiana
- Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
- Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
- Kyle McCord, Syracuse
- Tyler Shough, Louisville
At The Rebel Walk, we pay particular attention to what we believe to be the best overall metric assessing quarterback play, and that is ESPN’s Total QBR rating. This analysis takes into account the level of competition a QB faces and adjusts his rating based on that and many other factors.
Currently, Dart is in the top four of all quarterbacks in FBS for the season. Only Ward, Gabriel and Ohio State’s Will Howard are ahead of him — and there’s not much statistical difference between them.
ESPN Total QBR Rankings
- Cam Ward, Miami – 88.1
- Dillon Gabriel, Oregon – 86.7
- Will Howard, Ohio State – 85.8
- Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss – 84.9
- Kurtis Rourke, Indiana – 84.7
- Sawyer Robertson, Baylor – 83.6
- Blake Horvath, Navy – 83.4
- Jalen Milroe, Alabama – 82.6
- Haynes King, Georgia Tech – 82.3
- Sam Leavitt, Arizona State – 81.7
Looking at Kiper’s list again in his order, here are the QBs with their Total QBR rating and QBR rank (in parenthesis):
- Shedeur Sanders – 78.3 (No. 15)
- Cam Ward, Miami – 88.1 (No. 1)
- Jalen Milroe, Alabama – 82.6 (No. 8)
- Carson Beck, Georgia – 80.8 (No. 11)
- Quinn Ewers, Texas – 72.7 (No. 29)
- Kurtis Rourke, Indiana – 84.7 (No. 5)
- Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss – 84.9 (No. 4)
- Dillon Gabriel, Oregon – 86.7 (No. 2)
- Kyle McCord, Syracuse – 77.1 (No. 17)
- Tyler Shough, Louisville – 75.7 (No. 22)
So, Dart is No. 4 in the metric we believe best assesses his abilities as a QB, while Kiper has him at No. 7. Kiper’s overall No. 1, Shadeur Sanders, comes in at No. 15 in total QBR. His No. 5 pick, Quinn Ewers of Texas, comes in at No. 29 in total QBR ranking.
Dart at Ole Miss
This season, before the bowl game, Dart has tallied 3,875 passing yards with 25 touchdowns — and he has averaged 322.9 passing yards per game, which is the most in the Southeastern Conference.
Earlier this year, Dart broke Eli Manning’s record for career passing yards in school history. Throughout his three-year career with Ole Miss, Dart has thrown for 10,163 yards and 68 touchdowns. He’s also the first All-SEC First-Team QB from Ole Miss since Eli Manning in 2003.
And let’s not forget his 30 consecutive completions across two games early in the season. This stands as the second-most in college football history and ranks first among Power 5 quarterbacks.
Against Arkansas this season, Dart set the single-game passing record with 515 yards, going 25-for-31 through the air to break Matt Corral’s single-game mark of 513 set in 2020 against South Carolina. He added a team-high 47 rushing yards for 562 total yards to break Archie Manning’s single-game record of 540, which has stood since the 1969 meeting with Alabama.
When Dart spoke with media earlier this month, he was asked to reflect on his legacy.
“I haven’t really taken too much time to think about it, as of now. I will kind of do more of that as the game is over. I have been very appreciative of the time I have had here. I feel like I gave it my all. I am grateful to have the opportunity to play with these coaches, play with these players in the three years I have been here. I have loved my time here, and it has been the best decision I ever made.”
~ Dart on looking back at his success as the Rebel QB
Ole Miss faces Duke in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on January 2 in Jacksonville, Florida.
David Walker
David Walker was named Louisiana’s High School Player of the Year at just 16 years old and, at 17, became college football’s first quarterback to earn Freshman of the Year honors. He remains the NCAA’s youngest-ever starting quarterback, a distinction that has stood for decades.
Transitioning from a wide-open high school offense to Emory Bellard’s renowned wishbone triple option, Walker excelled as a dual-threat quarterback. He graduated as Texas A&M’s all-time winningest quarterback and served as a two-time team captain, helping to transform a program that had endured 15 losing seasons in the previous 16 years.
After his playing career, Walker coached and taught algebra at six Texas high schools before moving into private business. In 2011, he published his memoir, “I’ll Tell You When You’re Good,” a title inspired by the coaching philosophy of Shannon Suarez, the Sulphur High and Louisiana High School Hall of Fame coach who was a significant influence on Walker’s life and career.
Walker’s compelling storytelling in his autobiography reflects the breadth of his experiences in high school and college football, and it is an undeniable fact that he saw more action than any athlete in the history of the NCAA. Since 2013, he has contributed to The Rebel Walk, sharing his insights and expertise with readers.
