Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin believes Jaxson Dart's best quality was omitted from EA Sports College Football 25's player ratings
The college football world's equivalent to Christmas morning came with the release of EA Sports College Football 25 on Monday. Not only did the most anticipated college football video game of all time arrive, but it coincided with the opening day of SEC Media Days in Dallas, Texas. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was […]
The college football world's equivalent to Christmas morning came with the release of EA Sports College Football 25 on Monday. Not only did the most anticipated college football video game of all time arrive, but it coincided with the opening day of SEC Media Days in Dallas, Texas.
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was joined by three players at the annual event. Quarterback Jaxson Dart, defensive tackle Walter Nolen and wide receiver Tre Harris accompanied The Portal King and each spent time at the podium.
Over the last few weeks EA Sports has rolled out player and team ratings. All three of the aforementioned Rebels were named to the game's top 100 list, but Kiffin believes that his quarterback's best quality isn't being accounted for in the game.
“I think we’re always trying to improve players, obviously. I think that, with Jaxson, there’s not as much to point to, because he did finish the season really well,” Kiffin said. “We’ve had him now for a while. A lot of times we’ve got to go work on leadership things with someone, investing into their team and players, and he’s — in honor [NCAA Football 25] coming out, everybody is so excited, including Knox, because there’s a party tonight, to play this game or whatever — it makes me think of, if they had a rating of like, which maybe they do, of leadership, of a quarterback, he would be a 99, you know, because he invests into the players so much.
“So, a lot of times, you’ve got to work on that with them. He has that nailed. So, I think just continuing of his decision-making. Then, no matter how grounded you are, the spotlight gets big, and the pressure gets bigger. Him maintaining what he did really well at the end of the year, which is taking care of the football, and not forcing balls and making really good decisions.”
Kiffin spent a solid chunk of his time talking about how in today's game it's easier for players to fall for the "rat poison" of the social media era, lists and rankings, as well as preseason discourse. He encouraged his players on the way to Dallas to refrain from buying into the hype, or lack thereof.
With that being said, Dart, who received a 90 overall rating in the video game, has played his way into some of these conversations. A dark-horse Heisman contender entering 2024, Ole Miss will go as far as Dart's arm will take them.
