There are some clear takeaways from Lane Kiffin’s splashy QB portal additions

Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Only Lane Kiffin.

Only Kiffin, AKA “The Portal King,” would sign a highly regarded transfer from USC, start him for an entire season … only to dip into the portal again to sign not 1, but 2 more highly regarded quarterback transfers a few weeks after the season ended.

Unique? Sure. Kiffin is 1 of 1.

We knew that Ole Miss was likely going to need to add depth to a quarterback room that featured just 1 scholarship quarterback after Luke Altmyer transferred and 2023 verbal pledge Marcel Reed flipped to A&M the week of the Early Signing Period. That lone scholarship quarterback was, of course, Dart.

It wasn’t necessarily a stunner that Kiffin landed LSU’s Walker Howard, AKA the second-year player who went viral a year earlier as the guy dancing with Brian Kelly in his commitment video. Howard could step in and take the backup role as the quarterback of the future. On the heels of an inconsistent Year 1 as Ole Miss’ starter, Dart could still be considered the front-runner to be Kiffin’s QB1, albeit with a short leash knowing that the talented Howard lurked.

Then the Spencer Sanders news dropped Thursday and it changed everything.

Sanders’ commitment to Ole Miss, just a day after Howard’s commitment, suddenly turned Ole Miss’ quarterback room into a crowded one. In a matter of days, Dart went from being the unquestioned incumbent starter without any competition to possibly being the odd man out.

Consider that one of many takeaways from Kiffin’s splashy quarterback additions.

If you disagree with that, remember that Sanders has 1 year of eligibility left after 4 years as a starter at Oklahoma State. A dude with 85 total touchdowns at the Power 5 level isn’t picking a school where he’s expected to be the backup. Kiffin can say whatever he wants publicly. Privately, I’d be stunned if Kiffin didn’t give Sanders some sort of sign that it would be his job to lose if he came to Oxford.

After all, Sanders is a 23-year-old guy who was a Fiesta Bowl MVP after he earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2021. He couldn’t stay healthy down the stretch in 2022, but he still had 25 touchdowns (17 passing, 8 rushing) and over 3,000 scrimmage yards in 10 games. He was in search of a bigger opportunity. He’ll have that in the SEC.

Dart, meanwhile, had some solid raw numbers (8.2 yards per attempt, over 3,500 total yards), but he accounted for just 8 total touchdowns and he threw 7 interceptions in the 7 games Ole Miss played against FBS programs with a winning record.

It’s hard to put to much into body language, but if you watched Kiffin in 2022, there was a much different vibe with Dart compared to Matt Corral, who had some disastrous 5-interception games in his first year as a starter but wasn’t benched. Kiffin saw enough promise with Corral to let him work through his mistakes. There were no splashy portal additions at quarterback that offseason. Corral was the unquestioned QB1 heading into Year 2 with Kiffin.

We know that won’t be the case with Dart. Adding Howard and Sanders is an obvious sign that Kiffin isn’t sold on Dart. You don’t make multiple moves like that just to “motivate” a guy through camp. One could’ve spun that narrative if Howard was the lone addition. By adding Sanders, Kiffin essentially is saying Ole Miss could lose Dart and be OK.

It’s also worth remembering that Dart already used his 1-time exemption for immediate eligibility as an undergraduate transfer. If he wanted to transfer after the spring, it’s not like he can just go to another Power 5 school and start immediately. At least not without a waiver. I’m not sure what case Dart would have to transfer twice before the start of his 3rd college season.

Kiffin positioned himself to no longer be dependent on Dart’s development. If Dart wants to stay at Ole Miss and compete, I’m sure Kiffin would welcome that. If Dart wants to transfer to his 3rd school in as many years, Kiffin doesn’t need to beg him to stay.

In an ideal world for Ole Miss, here’s how this plays out.

Sanders, Howard and Dart all battle it out through spring, but instead of Dart transferring when the portal opens again after camp, he stays. Sanders wins the job, Ole Miss has an ideal complement to the Quinshon Judkins-led ground game and it yields a 10-win season. Sanders heads to the NFL after a decorated year in Oxford and then the spring 2024 battle is between Dart and Howard.

Will that happen? Probably not. It’s at least a possibility, though.

That scenario depends on how Dart views the recent additions. I can’t imagine he views them as a positive, no matter what Kiffin told him. Welcome to life as a Power 5 quarterback in the transfer portal era. Jobs are never etched in stone.

I suppose we should also apply that logic to Sanders. While I believe there’s an overwhelming possibility that he starts, it’s Kiffin. For all we know, he’ll be blown away by Howard and a pair of veterans will be on the bench. We should never assume we know exactly what Kiffin is thinking.

Well, I suppose there’s a prevailing thought that anyone could deduce from Ole Miss’ new quarterback additions.

Dart’s path to keeping his starting job just got a whole lot steeper.

View Comments

  • Once Kiffin missed out on the only truly elite QB in the portal, who we all know was the Man Called Mertz, he was forced to scrounge for whatever he could get, resulting in this so-called QB battle — which will really be a pillow fight to win the title as wanna be Mertzinator.

    As Mert goes full on Mertzmode and dominates the world, Kiffin weep on the sidelines, wondering what might have been.

    • All aboard the Mertz-train. Choo! Choo!

      As a rabid Dawgs fan, I'm terrified to play the Gators this year with the Mertzinator at the helm.

      • You are right to know fear!

        When the Mertz-train slams into your defensive line like an Olympian Juggernaut and scatters them like bowling pins, they can only hope every bone in their bodies isn’t shattered into dust!

        MERTZ!

    • I am pretty sure the whole SEC will be "scared" of Mertz..who couldn't dominate the Little Ten conference.

      But, it's nice to dream, isn't it?

      • It's a joke. And I find it amusing.

        Beware the Metrzatron!!! The one being in the Universe that can stand up to the Blazing Sword!!!

      • Not a dream bro, but pure unadulterated satire. It's a shame you are so literal minded that you could not appreciate this masterpiece by Truth. Lighten up and you may enjoy

    • And he was the anointed one. Mertz became the Mertzinator and so it was that he took the SEC by storm and laid waste to all his foes

    • Mertz does not play football. He is all that is football; The Chuck Norris of the SEC. Good luck @therestofus. Its Mertz's league and we are all just pawns for him to embarrass on the field. He ended the season as +20000 to win the Heisman. Wouldn't be surprised if he opens up at -20000.

      • Mertz to win the Heisman is gonna pay off Hugely! I took out a second mortgage and bet it all on Mertz!

      • And In those days Mertz and Football became one.
        And so it was that all his foes trembled at his sight and were vanquished before stepping on the field.
        It followed that the Heisman and all other awards were granted to the Mertzinator and moreover were renamed The Merzatron awards

  • Here is assessment - Howard will be Q2 hands down..Lane has a deal with him and he is the future and starter for 2024 forward. He will not be on the scout team like at LSU.

    That means that Dart and Sanders will compete for the 2023 starting role. I assume Sanders is already the guy, hence why he transfered.

    At this point I see Dart lawyering up, winning, and granted permission to transfer. He will leave OM for BYU and finish up there.

    Regardless of the current situation, Howard is the future.

    • Agree with your thoughts. It's not that Dart isn't a good quarterback because he is. He competes, gives effort and makes some plays, unfortunately, just not enough of them. Far too many "three and outs" this past season.

      On the other hand, Sanders' resume is impressive. He can beat you with his arm and legs. In the Kiffin offense that is imperative. Last season Dart had virtually no competition, and it hurt his development in my opinion. If he stays and competes through spring, the light switch may turn on, but he will most certainly have to win the job for 2023. And it will not be easy.

      Either way, Walker Howard is the future. He could be special.

      • Dart has a higher completion percentage, higher efficiency rating, more yards per pass and more yards per rush (on more rushes even) than Sanders.

        • All three are outstanding quarterbacks. The challenge and competition will be good for the team.

        • Yeah I can't imagine Sander's has been promised anything more than a chance at the job. Dart had similar or better numbers his first year in the system than Sander's had after 3-4 years at OSU.

        • I concur. I don't think that there is a clear favorite here. If I were making the selection and had to make it today on resume, I would select Dart. However, most fortunately for all involved:

          1) I am not involved in the selection
          2) a decision does not need to be made based on resume nor does it need to be made today. Spring camp and fall camp are available for the QB whisperers to figure it out.

          By the way, I believe Sanders when he says that he has not been promised a starting position. I believe that all three will get a chance to show what they have, and I have confidence in the staff to select the best based on what they see.

      • How is Sanders' resume impressive?

        Average at best at throwing the football. Constantly turning the ball over. Plays mediocre teams in the little 12 week in and week out. I don't see it.

        • It's a legitimate argument. Is he good? YES Is he experienced? YES Is he great? I DON'T SEE IT
          Generally speaking, Gundy and staff normally coach up QBs better than most programs. So, if he were a top 10 FBS QB, it would show last year and it didn't. In ESPN's RAW passer rating for 2022, he was 29th.

        • In the biggest game of his career, he played so unbelievably bad. 2021 Big 12 Championship vs. Baylor. 4 picks.

          In fact, he has NINE games with multiple ints. Four of those are 3+. ESPN doesn't have easily accessible fumble stats, but I would assume one of those games with one int he lost a fumble. That is double digit games with multiple turnovers.

          To put that in perspective, he started 42 games at Ok State. That means he had multiple turnovers in roughly 25% of those games....

    • I really believe Howard is a stud. He was a better QB than Manning. Broke his leg halfway through his senior year so he really wasn’t healed enough to compete for the job in the spring.
      WRs at LSU said he could really throw it too.

      • Agree with you. While family story is heartbreaking, he seems like the All-American youngster. I look forward to cheering and supporting his success.

    • Not so fast. Here’s the real deal. The Tigers wanted to get Howard some real playing time but he wasn’t likely to start ahead of Nuss so Howard agreed to hit the portal. Nuss succeeds Daniels, has a great year and then leaves early for the pros. A more experienced Howard re-hits the portal again and returns to LSU along with the Kiffen playbook. The young man bleeds purple and gold. Kiffen, feeling betrayed and exposed by the portal, leaves to become OC at Colorado. Being close to Coach Prime is one step closer to Saban and the Bama HC job. P.S. This is not satire.

  • I wonder how much of this is based upon, "I need a QB", opposed to how much it is based upon, "I need to keep this QB off of an SEC West opponent's sideline".

    Kaint hertcha sittin yer bench.

    • Actually, the players "sitting on your bench" can hurt you a great bit. However, I believe that with just one scholarship QB on the roster and the inability to sign a HS QB, Kiffin went to the portal and tried for the best QBs available and just managed to hook into two of his targets.

      • Point taken. Let me amend my previous statement.

        Kaint throw for 500 yds and 4 TDs sitting on my bench.

      • Is it just me, or does it seem we always have great success landing offensive players with few to none on the defensive side? That comment doesn't include Perkins this year.

        • Well, kiffin is known as an offensive guy. So somebody who thinks he has a shot at the NFL wants to go to someone who is proven to develop offensive players to that level. If he were to recruit say, someone like muschamp to be his DC, you might start seeing those types of commits on the other side of the line of scrimmage

  • I’m certainly pleased at the addition of both quarterbacks. However, Dart’s first year was better than Corral’s first IMO. I didn’t think he was great but it’s hard to complete passes when you’re running for your life.

  • My clear takeaway is that no real QBs wanted to play in Auburn, ha ha! The rest will sort itself out and instead of having one solid QB last Friday Ole Miss has three. I consider that a strong positive.

    • Ole Piss hasn't had a great QB since Eli Manning. Ole Piss hasn't won the SEC West, SEC or a national championship. Ever.

      AU will be just fine, Ole Pisser.

      • Alas the troll RonMexico emerges from his mom's basement with lotion on his hand and jizz on his chin just in time to add absolutely nothing of substance to the conversation.

        • "emerges from his mom’s basement with lotion on his hand and jizz on his chin "

          $10000 says you're a pedo.

        • UsmcDawg

          Ole Piss fans picking fights with AU alum/fans is hilarious. They can't handle facts.

  • good ol RonMexico, we missed you so!! while you were posting Ole Miss picked up two more transfers and one w/drew from portal. What you got outside of you hand lotion?

    • "We?" Like the voices in your tiny head? You still don't understand that transfers don't always equal greatness. Heck, last season Ole Piss fans claimed that Dart would be a Heisman contender.

      How'd that work out?

      "What you got outside of you hand lotion?"

      LOL you and HottyToddy7725 are the same person. Amazing.

  • I remember what happened the last time Ole Miss play Georgia, do you USMCDawg? Nice to see that even after back to back national championships even some GA fans still follow Kiffin like a little b i t c h. From the dumped Auburn fans that is just commonplace today

  • After seeing Florida’s offense under billy ball there’s not one single good quarterback who wants to ruin his nfl chances playing for the Gators.
    Lagway will not be playing at Florida just like I said a long time ago concerning the recent bust.
    Go back and look all you want and you’ll see I stated he wouldn’t be playing at Florida.
    Not saying billy is a bad guy, he’s a BAD offensive mind. He desperately needs an offensive coordinator because he simply isn’t one. This season will prove that fact and it will also prove again when I state Lagway will not be quarterbacking at Florida.
    Until billy realizes he’s not the offensive genius he thinks he is it will be a long time before Florida gets a good quarterback.

    • gatorlake...You're lost. This article is about Ole Miss Quarterbacks, not Billy's struggles in his first year in Gainesville.

  • One thing is clear, Hugh Freeze out recruited Kiffin in the portal during this cycle.

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