Jaxson Dart, Former USC Quarterback, Transfers To Ole Miss

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Joining a long line of players opting to transfer from the University of Southern California will be sophomore quarterback Jaxson Dart.

The high number of transfers is expected with the hiring of a new coach, as the Trojans have seen many players enter the transfer portal after bringing Lincoln Riley into the program in November. That doesn't come without an influx of transfer players as well though, as thus far throughout the offseason the Trojans have picked up 12 new players via the portal.

According to a report from ESPN, Jaxson Dart, has officially announced his transfer to the University of Mississippi, after declaring his entrance into the transfer portal earlier in the offseason.

He committed to USC out of Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah as a four star recruit. In his first season, Dart competed with fellow freshman Miller Moss for the backup position.

Dart was with the Trojans for just one season, where he acted as Kedon Slovis' backup for the majority of the campaign, earning just three starts due to an injury to Slovis.

He still threw the ball a considerable amount of times for USC in 2021, despite suffering from a torn meniscus throughout the season. He racked up 1,353 yards completing 117 passes on nearly 200 attempts. He had nine touchdown passes and five interceptions. Dart also rushed for two touchdowns.

Dart also visited with both Brigham Young University and University of Oklahoma, but decided to join Ole Miss to develop under Lane Kiffin's leadership, as detailed in ESPN's report.

Now, expected to take over the helm of the Ole Miss offense, he'll be tasked with replacing former rebel Matt Corral, who started the last three seasons under Kiffin.

Dart was named the Gatorade Football Player of the Year in 2020, his senior season in high school. On top of that, he was awarded MaxPreps Football Player of the Year, and named to both the MaxPreps All American Team and Sports Illustrated All American First Teams.

He wasn't the only former Trojan to announce his decision to join the Rebels, as tight end Michael Trigg also made his official announcement on Saturday.

Trigg, a four star prospect out of high school will also be a sophomore next season. He finished the 2021 campaign with seven catches for 109 yards and one touchdown.

Dart was ranked the No.3 best quarterback in the transfer portal, while Trigg was listed as the No. 2 best tight end by 24/7 Sports.

Ironically, Slovis also transferred to the University of Pittsburgh earlier in the offseason. He is another of the 16 players to transfer from USC following the season.

Despite the high number of players transferring out of Southern California, their incoming transfer class ranks as third best in the nation.

The quarterback picture for the Trojans remains hazy, though heavy speculation still indicates that former University of Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams will decide to follow his former head coach to the Southland.