Former Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart Set for NFL Preseason Debut with the Giants
OXFORD, Miss. — Former Ole Miss star Jaxson Dart is ready for his first snap in the NFL. The New York Giants rookie quarterback will take the field Saturday when Big Blue travels to Buffalo for their preseason opener against the Bills. Kickoff is set for Noon CT.
Jaxson Dart WILL play in Saturday’s preseason game against the Bills, Brian Daboll confirmed today. pic.twitter.com/qmmxrIbCyn
— Fireside Giants (@FiresideGiants) August 7, 2025
While Buffalo fans won’t see MVP quarterback Josh Allen suit up, Rebel fans will have their eyes locked on the rookie first-rounder Dart as he gets his first taste of professional football. Though he’s not the starter, Dart will see playing time according to Giants head coach Brian Daboll.
Learning the System — With a Little Help from Josh Allen
Since being drafted, Dart has been hard at work mastering head coach Brian Daboll’s offensive system — one known around the league for being complex. Helping him along the way? None other than the quarterback who thrived in it before him.
“Yeah, I talked to Josh [Allen] a few days after I got drafted,” Dart revealed.
“He’s been somebody who I’ve really looked up to and since coming here, just watching a ton of his tape and how he was able to operate Coach Dabes’ system. It’s going to be kind of a surreal feeling to be on the same field as him.”
Jaxson Dart on Josh Allen
Allen, of course, played under Daboll from 2018–2021 when the current Giants head coach was the offensive coordinator in Buffalo. In those years, Allen grew into one of the league’s most dynamic quarterbacks — a blueprint Dart has studied closely.
Dart said Allen emphasized one specific part of playing quarterback more than any other.
“I think the biggest thing as the quarterback — he talked a lot about leadership,’’ Dart said. “That was kind of like his main thing and then trying to be the best teammate for the guys around you because as a quarterback, you have to raise the standards of everybody.
“Obviously, schematics, I think that what shows up on Coach Dabes’ record is being able to coach many different quarterbacks who have different skill sets and kind of molding offenses around what they’re good at, so kind of just hone in on the key details of Coach Dabes’ offense and really trust it. I think at times, maybe quarterbacks will predetermine things and not really trust the system, but the special thing about Coach Dabes is he gives us a ton of freedom so there’s answers to everything that you can really think of.’’
From Practice to Game Day
The former Rebel signal caller admits there were some bumps early in the summer as he adjusted to the NFL pace, but he’s made steady progress during training camp. Coaches and teammates alike have noted his grasp of the playbook and improvement in command at the line of scrimmage.
“I’d say Jaxson is right on schedule from what we’d expect in terms of just understanding the offense, continuing to grow and learn every day,’’ offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said.
“Every day we’re presenting him — not just him but all the quarterbacks — with different situations and some situations you’ve probably never seen before. Those have been good to build off of, whether it’s in two-minute, whether it’s a third-down situation or a certain blitz look that we’re getting, he’s able to kind of grow and learn from those examples and now as he starts banking more and more looks, more and more reps — we do a lot of this throughout the walk-through as well, he can kind of see — now he’s starting to put the picture together a little bit better and cleaner for a rookie.’’
New York OC Mike Kafka
Still, as every quarterback knows, executing in practice is one thing — doing it in live action is another. Saturday’s preseason matchup will be Dart’s first true test under the bright lights as he works toward his ultimate goal: becoming the Giants’ franchise quarterback.
One thing is certain — Ole Miss fans will be watching closely to see their former leader take the next step in his football journey.
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. Email Evie at: Evie@TheRebelWalk.com
