Bowl season continues tonight with (14) Ole Miss hosting Duke in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

The New York Giants obviously need a quarterback for 2025 – and hopefully beyond – and this game will feature one of their best options in Jaxson Dart.

The Ole Miss quarterback will be a polarizing player. He boasts an impressive performance this year (3,875 yards, 25 touchdowns, 6 interceptions), but there will be concerns about whether he was a product of his environment or whether he can make the jump to the NFL.

Ole Miss has a number of future NFL players on its roster, so it will be a good game to keep an eye on at multiple positions.

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl – (14) Ole Miss vs. Duke

ESPN – 8:00 p.m

Ole Miss

Jaxson Dart (QB)

We know the Giants have expressed interest in darts this year. They were reportedly so interested that they sent executives to scout him personally. We don’t know if their interest has waned or how convinced they are of him. But the fact that they were interested in him means we should take a closer look at him.

With a height of 1.80 m and a weight of 100 kg, Dart has a strong physique and combines very good arm talent with good athleticism. Neither his arm nor his wheels are “elite” in the Josh Allen sense, but they are certainly more than adequate for pretty much any NFL offense. Dart is one of the bravest quarterbacks in the draft and always tries to throw the ball down the field. He leads FBS in yards on deep passes and his average depth of target was 12.2 yards downfield. His adjusted completion percentage of 76.5 is also impressive given his average depth of target.

Dart was extremely productive over the last three years in Lane Kiffin’s offense at Ole Miss and was on a torrid pace this year. In many ways, he mirrored Jayden Daniel’s 2023 season and his name sits alongside Archie and Eli Manning in the Ole Miss record books. He is also highly valued for his toughness and humility. After suffering an ankle injury, he returned to Ole Miss’ game against Georgia and played through the injury, although it obviously hampered him. He also took the blame for the team missing the College Football Playoff and publicly apologized for his mistakes at the end of the season.

Later in the year he also failed to maintain his high performance against better opponents. There are legitimate questions about how he will perform in the NFL and how much his game will suffer after he leaves Kiffin’s offense. Dart is willing to risk hits and had a high sack pressure rate of 19.2 percent, suggesting he’s taking too many unnecessary sacks.

It could be fascinating to follow Dart through the draft process. His attributes will almost certainly win him fans on coaching staffs and front offices, but teams may be concerned about his ability to make the jump from college to the NFL.

Princely Uman Miles (EDGE)

Umanmeilen transferred to the Rebels from Florida before the 2024 season.

He has a prototypical physique for a modern full-back, standing at 1.80 m tall and weighing 110 kg, and has the versatility to play from a 2- and 3-point stance. He was a constant presence behind the line of scrimmage for the Ole Miss defense, recording 10.5 sacks and 13 tackles for a loss that year. He is an impressive athlete who can shoot into the backfield and win in a variety of ways. He has enough power to take on blockers head-on, outrun them with athleticism, or force shots by changing his pace.

Umanmeilen has impressive toughness, which he has produced this year despite having surgery in the spring to repair a torn labrum and a foot injury that cost him two games. He still needs to develop as a run defender, but could be an option for a team looking for a proven pass rusher who could develop into an every-down player.

duke

Chandler Rivers (CB)

Rivers doesn’t get much media attention, but he was named First Team All ACC in 2024. He’s an undersized cornerback who could be considered a slot-only player by the NFL, standing at 5-foot-10 and weighing 180 pounds. While he may not be making much noise (yet), he could make some noise as the draft process progresses. Rivers may be undersized, but he’s a fast, twitchy athlete with a good football IQ and good instincts. He has a good feel for zone coverage and a knack for slamming receiving windows with his final push. Rivers has defended 16 passes and thrown four interceptions over the last two seasons – two of which he returned for touchdowns.