Why did Jaxson Dart leave USC? A look at Ole Miss star's decision to transfer

Jaxson Dart is among the players with the most spotlight heading into the 2024 college football season, owing to his display of leadership at Ole Miss and also high praise from Super Bowl champ Eli Manning.

Jaxson was among the top-10 recruits in his class and first committed to Clay Helton's USC in the spring of 2021. After USC hired their current coach Lincoln Riley, and Caleb Williams followed him from Oklahoma, Dart decided that it was best for him to look for opportunities somewhere else. So, after spending a year with the Trojans, Dart entered the transfer portal on Jan. 3, 2022.

Following the decision to enter the portal, Dart visited three schools: Oklahoma, BYU and Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss. Talking about his exit from the University of Southern California and the transfer to Ole Miss, Jaxson Dart said:

"It was really hard (to leave USC), just the bonds and connections I made ... my teammates, my friends. Leaving those guys was hard. But it was what was best for me to achieve my goals for the future."

“I loved how electric the offense is, It’s super quarterback friendly and I love the excitement and everything that carries around with it. I love how Coach Kiffin has really turned some things around here and has brought it back to where it used to be. That was something that really excited me.”

He added:

"When me and (fellow USC transfer Michael Trigg) came on our visit, we walked into a little restaurant with our families, the amount of people who came up to us and knew who we were, we were just on a visit.

"The students weren't even in school at the time. I thought that was really cool. I just love the support and how involved people are here. It's really cool."

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Jaxson Dart's injury rumor

Ole Miss fans nearly had a heart attack when they heard the news that Jaxson Dart tore his ACL during 2024 fall camp and that he could miss the upcoming college football season.

However, Ole Miss was quick to shut down the rumors and posted several snaps of Jaxson practicing with his teammates during the camp.

Dart is among the top runners to win the Heisman trophy in 2024 and will be a crucial factor in Ole Miss' potential success this season. Fans will be interested to see Jaxson shine and win games for his team in 2024.