Nov 29, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) reacts after the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images

Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart leaving for NFL after Gator Bowl

Ole Miss standout quarterback Jaxson Dart said Friday he will declare for the NFL draft but will first play in the school’s Gator Bowl contest against Duke on Jan. 2.

Dart made his announcement on social media.

“Who would have known that a kid who grew up in Utah would find his way to the great state of Mississippi in order to fulfill his college gridiron dreams,” Dart wrote. “I really and truly came of age at this great University. … All of this being said, we have unfinished business. I CAN’T WAIT to put on that #2 Ole Miss jersey for one last ride with my guys before beginning preparation for the 2025 NFL Draft. As always, I promise to leave every ounce of what I’ve got on that football field one last time for Ole Miss. THANK YOU and Hotty Toddy!”

Dart has played three seasons at Ole Miss and set the school record of 10,213 career passing yards, surpassing school legend Eli Manning (10,119). He has 68 passing touchdowns, second to Manning (81 from 2000-03).

Dart played his first college season for Southern California in 2021 before transferring to Ole Miss. He has passed for career highs of 3,875 yards and 25 touchdown passes this season while being intercepted just six times. The Rebels are 9-3 entering the bowl game.

Dart isn’t projected to be among the top five quarterbacks selected in the draft but will be in the next run of signal-callers.

–Field Level Media

Sep 21, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) drops back to pass against the South Florida Bulls in the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Miami QB Cam Ward jumps to front of Heisman Trophy race

Cam Ward has taken advantage of Miami’s relatively soft opening schedule along with an injury to a key rival to become the last favorite in the Heisman Trophy race.

Ward threw for 404 yards and three touchdowns in the Hurricanes’ 50-15 rout of South Florida on Saturday. That followed blowout wins over Florida, Florida A&M and Ball State, with the senior having compiled 1,439 passing yards and 14 touchdowns through four games.

Ward is now the +450 Heisman Trophy favorite at DraftKings, followed by Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart (+500), Alabama’s Jalen Milroe (+700), Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel (+1000). Ward is the +350 favorite at FanDuel, followed by Dart (+500) and Milroe (+750).

Gabriel opened the season as the favorite, but has slid down the list with Oregon escaping upset bids by Idaho and Boise State in their first two games. He was supplanted by Texas’ Quinn Ewers, who has fallen all the way to seventh after sustaining an oblique strain and missing the Longhorns’ Saturday win over Louisiana-Monroe.

HEISMAN TROPHY ODDS*
PLAYER, TEAM, JULY ODDS, WEEK 1, Week 2, CURRENT
Cam Ward, Miami, +2200, +950, +850, +450
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss, +1400, +850, +800, +500
Jalen Milroe, Alabama, +1500, +1100, +1200, +700
Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee, +1800, +1200, +1300, +950
Carson Beck, Georgia, +800, +900, +1000, +1400
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon, +750, +800, +1100, +1000
Quinn Ewers, Texas, +1000, +1400, +600, +1500
Travis Hunter, Colorado, N/A, N/A, N/A, +2000
Ashton Jeanty, Boise State, N/A/, N/A, +3000, +2000
Will Howard, Ohio State, +1500, +1600, +2000, +2000
Miller Moss, Southern California, N/A, +2200, +1800, +2500
Drew Allar, Penn State, N/A, N/A, +3000, +3500
Arch Manning, Texas, N/A, N/A, N/A, +4000
Cade Klubnik, Clemson, N/A, N/A, N/A, +4500
Riley Leonard, Notre Dame, N/A, N/A, N/A, +5500
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU, +2200, +3500, +2800, +5500
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, N/A/, +2200, +8000, +10000
*DraftKings

Arch Manning, who made his first college start in Ewers’ absence, entered the Heisman picture at +4000 this week. However, he’s still a heavy longshot, while the fastest-rising candidate is Colorado’s two-way star Hunter.

Hunter has the shortest odds among non-quarterbacks. He is viewed by many as the best athlete in college football, but the legitimacy of his Heisman candidacy likely will hinge on how the Buffaloes fare against the likes of Kansas State, Utah, Oklahoma State and other Big 12 opponents this season.

Another quickly rising threat is Milroe, who opened the season at +1500. He now has the shortest odds after Ward and Dart, with a critical early-season test coming against Beck when the Georgia Bulldogs visit Tuscaloosa on Saturday.

Among the biggest fallers this week was Southern California quarterback Miller Moss, who is now a +2500 longshot after the Trojans were unable to hold a late lead at Michigan.

–Field Level Media

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) makes a pass against Michigan during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, September 7, 2024.

Texas 6-Step: Quinn Ewers leaps to Heisman favorite

Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers used an outstanding effort in the marquee game of the weekend to catapult to the top of the Heisman Trophy favorites following Week 2 of the college football season.

Seventh at +1400 at DraftKings just a week ago, none of the six quarterbacks in front of Ewers lost over the weekend. However, he still climbed past them all with a three-touchdown effort in Texas’ 31-12 shellacking of reigning national champion Michigan on the road Saturday.

Ewers is now the +600 favorite ahead of Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart (+850), who completed his first 24 passes in the Rebels’ rout of Middle Tennessee.

Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel had been the Heisman favorite from mid-summer through last week, but the Ducks’ second consecutive lackluster performance caused a slide all the way to fifth this week. Despite throwing for a pair of touchdowns and completing 85.7 percent of his passes while engineering a drive that led to a game-winning field goal, Gabriel moved from +800 to +1100 with Oregon surviving Boise State’s upset bid at Autzen Stadium.

HEISMAN TROPHY ODDS*
PLAYER, TEAM, JULY ODDS, WEEK 1, CURRENT
Quinn Ewers, Texas, +1000, +1400, +600
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss, +1400, +850, +800
Cam Ward, Miami, +2200, +950, +850
Carson Beck, Georgia, +800, +900, +1000
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon, +750, +800, +1100
Jalen Milroe, Alabama, +1500, +1100, +1200
Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee, +1800, +1200, +1300
Miller Moss, Southern Cal, N/A, +2200, +1800
Will Howard, Ohio State, +1500, +1600, +2000
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU, +2200, +3500, +2800
Drew Allar, Penn State, N/A, N/A, +3000
Ashton Jeanty, Boise State, N/A/, N/A, +3000
Avery Johnson, Kansas State, +2500, +3500, +4000
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, N/A/, +2200, +8000
*DraftKings

Ewers enjoyed the biggest move up the Heisman odds board with his 800-point shift, followed by Nussmeier’s 700-point gain. Southern Cal’s Moss also entered the top-10 favorites after being +2200 last week.

Going in the opposite direction were Colorado teammates Sanders and dual-threat Travis Hunter. After the Buffaloes were manhandled 28-10 at Nebraska, Sanders saw his odds plummet from +2200 to +8000, while Hunter slid from +2500 to +5000.

Gabriel took a 300-point hit, while Beck and Iamaleava each shifted 100 points down.

The top non-quarterback is now Jeanty, who inserted himself into the Heisman conversation with 192 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries against Oregon. He now has 459 rushing yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 10.2 yards per carry through two games.

They’re all currently looking up at Ewers, who was named the Southeastern Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week. He completed 24-of-36 passes for 246 yards and the three touchdowns, and has now thrown for 506 yards with six touchdowns against one interception during the Longhorns’ 2-0 start.

–Field Level Media

Aug 31, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) throws a pass warming up before the game against the Idaho Vandals at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Heisman Trophy Odds: Dillon Gabriel’s company moving in

The first full week of the college football season didn’t create a sea change in the Heisman Trophy picture, but Oregon’s lackluster victory over Idaho did help shrink the gap at the top.

Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel was the +750 favorite at DraftKings in July, but those odds lengthened a bit to +800 following the 24-14 victory that saw Oregon leading by only three points in the fourth quarter. Gabriel did finish the game with 380 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart has moved from +1400 to +850 right behind Gabriel. He’s followed by Georgia quarterback Carson Beck (+900), Miami quarterback Cam Ward (+950) and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (+1100).

HEISMAN TROPHY ODDS*
PLAYER, TEAM, JULY ODDS, CURRENT ODDS
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon, +750, +800
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss, +1400, +850
Carson Beck, Georgia, +800, +900
Cam Ward, Miami, +2200, +950
Jalen Milroe, Alabama, +1500, +1100
Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee, +1800, +1200
Quinn Ewers, Texas, +1000, +1400
Will Howard, Ohio State, +1500, +1600
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, N/A/, +2200
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU, +2200, +3500
Avery Johnson, Kansas State, +2500, +3500
*DraftKings

Ward was one of the week’s biggest movers up the rankings after engineering the Hurricanes’ lopsided victory at Florida. He was an even bigger mover at FanDuel, where Ward is now one of the three-co favorites at +850 along with Gabriel and Dart.

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier went the opposite direction, plummeting from +2200 to +3500 at DraftKings following the Tigers’ loss to Southern California. He has slightly shorter +3000 odds at FanDuel.

While Shedeur Sanders has the shortest odds among Colorado players at DraftKings, it’s dual-threat teammate Travis Hunter who carries that honor at +2500 at FanDuel. The two connected for three touchdowns in the Buffaloes’ 31-26 home win over North Dakota State.

Hunter is also being offered at +2500 at DraftKings, and has the shortest odds among non-quarterbacks at both sportsbooks.

–Field Level Media

Sep 17, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Luke Altmyer (7) runs past Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive lineman Kyle Kennard (9) in the second half at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Ole Miss QB Luke Altmyer entering transfer portal

Ole Miss backup quarterback Luke Altmyer announced Monday that he will depart the program and enter the transfer portal.

Altmyer competed for the starting job prior to the season and in the early part of the campaign before being beaten out by Jaxson Dart, a transfer from Southern California.

“Thank you, Ole Miss,” Altmyer said on Twitter. “These past two years have been nothing short of life-changing. It has always been a dream of mine to play for this great state and the place that I call home. The experiences and lessons I’ve learned and shared are priceless.

“To my teammates, coaches and the community of Oxford, I love you all. It’s time for the next chapter as I intend to enter the transfer portal.”

Altmyer, who is from Starkville, Miss., played in three games this season and completed 8 of 17 passes for 125 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

He started against Central Arkansas in the Rebels’ second game and was 6-for-13 passing for 90 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for a score.

Dart started the rest of Ole Miss’ games. He also started the season opener.

Overall, Altmyer passed for 317 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in eight games over two seasons.

–Field Level Media

Nov 27, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) throws the ball against the BYU Cougars in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Ex-USC QB Jaxson Dart transferring to Ole Miss

Former Southern California quarterback Jaxson Dart told ESPN on Saturday that he will continue his college career at Ole Miss.

Dart also considered Oklahoma and BYU after entering the transfer portal less than three weeks ago.

Dart is a welcome addition for the Rebels after star quarterback Matt Corral departed after the 2021 season in favor of entering the NFL draft.

Coach Lane Kiffin’s wide-open offense was a big consideration in Dart’s decision, according to the report.

Dart showed promise as a freshman at USC by passing for 1,353 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions in six games (three starts).

Dart relieved starting quarterback Kedon Slovis on Sept. 18 when the latter injured his neck on USC’s first possession against Washington State. Dart set a program record for most passing yards in a debut — 391 — to go with four touchdowns and two interceptions as the Trojans won 45-14.

However, Dart sustained a meniscus injury during the game, reportedly during the second quarter, and played through it. He later underwent surgery and returned Oct. 30 against Arizona, splitting time with Slovis against the Wildcats.

Former Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley became USC’s coach in late November and speculation that Sooners quarterback Caleb Williams would join him in Southern California reached a fever pitch. But Dart didn’t wait around to see if Williams was coming by entering the transfer portal on Jan. 10.

Williams, who is in the transfer portal, hasn’t yet selected a new school.

Tight end Michael Trigg, another USC player, also is transferring to Ole Miss. Trigg caught seven passes for 109 yards and one touchdown in six games as a freshman last season.

–Field Level Media