We recently heard the first great Ole Miss quarterback give his opinion about Lane Kiffin and now we’ve heard from the newest one.
Archie Manning said in a video this week that he “Think(s) we’re going to do great in the playoffs without our narcissistic, jerk coach.”
Jaxson Dart, now with the New York Giants, was much nicer when he was asked about the situation on Wednesday.
“Crazy,” Dart said when asked about the situation with Kiffin leaving Ole Miss. “With Kiff, he kind of does some things that are unexpected. But I’m looking forward to his next opportunity. Me and him have such a great relationship. I know, for him, he’s going to put his best foot down and do some really great things for that program. I’m definitely excited for him.”
"With Kiff, he kinda does some things that are unexpected. I'm looking forward to his next opportunity. Me and him have such a great relationship…I'm excited for him.
I'm also really happy for Ole Miss, keeping Coach Golding at the helm there. I'm happy that they were able to… pic.twitter.com/xXA2ulRG0u
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) December 10, 2025
Dart added he was also excited about Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff.
“I’m also really happy for Ole Miss, keeping Coach Golding at the helm there,” Dart said. “I’m happy that they were able to keep their offensive staff, being able to coach the rest of the Playoff…it would’ve been a sign of disrespect a little bit not letting those guys finish it out. I’m excited to see their run to a National Championship this year.”
Ole Miss fans don’t need a reminder about what Dart accomplished in Oxford. It did put him into the upper echelon of great Ole Miss quarterbacks.
Potential Rookie of the Year
Now with the Giants, Dart is a candidate for NFL Rookie of the Year.
Dart began the season on the bench, but took over the starting role after the Giants realized Russell Wilson left his talent in Seattle.
Despite missing a couple of games in concussion protocol, Dart’s completed 145 of 228 passes for 1,556 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also has 61 carries for 337 yards and seven touchdowns.
It’s his running ability that draws the most attention for both its success and physicality.
“In the NFL everybody is really fast and everybody hits really hard,” Pat McAfee said during his show last week. “I would hate to see Jaxson Dart not have a chance to be a great NFL quarterback strictly because he wants to prove how tough he is. We know you’re tough, dude. We think you’re really tough.”
Dart’s running ability is a big reason why he was successful at Ole Miss and is finding success in the NFL. But McAfee is right about Dart needing to be smarter about taking hits.
NFL history is full of talented quarterbacks whose careers get derailed early on because of injury. Robert Griffin III is the example that usually comes to mind.
So Dart will have to find a way to balance what makes him good with avoiding serious injuries.
