Jaxson Dart named No. 2 quarterback
Jaxson Dart is officially USC’s No. 2 quarterback to start the 2021 season, head coach Clay Helton announced Thursday morning.
Dart won the battle with fellow true freshman Miller Moss for the right to back up returning starter Kedon Slovis. It’s a decision that has looked likely since the first few practices of spring ball, when both quarterbacks enrolled early but Dart was coming off a senior season in which he won the Gatorade Player of the Year Award and Moss hadn’t played competitive football in more than a year.
The freshmen got opportunities to take a lot of reps this spring and fall because this battle was an important one. USC had to go to a third-string quarterback in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons, and Slovis was injured at the end of the sixth and final game of the 2020 season. With veteran Mo Hasan out for the year after suffering an ACL tear during the spring game, there is no experience behind Slovis.
Dart has been electric at times during the spring and fall. His athleticism pops at the position and he has the arm talent to make throws that nobody else on the roster can make. He’ll need to eliminate some of the freshman mistakes he’s made, typically when he’s trying to get away with things that worked in high school but usually won’t at this level. Dart has shown elite ability in all aspects of being a quarterback and in terms of this position battle, he performed when he needed to.
“Where Jaxson had a leg up was in live action,” Helton said. “When the ball was put down in scrimmage-type atmospheres, he was a little more productive in those situations than Miller.”
Moss spoke this fall about the coaches wanting him to take more shots down the field and there have been days he’s done that. He’s grown tremendously from the first day of spring ball to now and Helton echoed that. Catching Dart before the season opener was going to be a tall task, but that battle is one that will continue as long as both quarterbacks are on the roster.
“Really, you’re talking about three elite quarterbacks in that room,” Helton said. “You’re talking about, I think, three pro quarterbacks and guys that will develop and develop fast.”
Helton said the rest of the depth chart will be released Friday before the first game.
USC opens its season on Saturday, September 4 against San Jose State. The game is set to kick at 2 pm at the Coliseum.
