[autotag]SEC media days[/autotag] are underway in Dallas, Texas this week. All 16 teams in the conference will be heard from over the four-day event, with [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and the Oklahoma Sooners taking their turn Tuesday afternoon.
Day one of the week featured, among other teams, the Ole Miss Rebels, who are projected to have a successful season led by head coach Lane Kiffin and quarterback Jaxson Dart. Ole Miss is an [autotag]SEC[/autotag] veteran, while OU is new to the league in 2024.
Basically every team has been asked about Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC so far, with Brian Kelly and Shane Beamer among those who were complimentary of the Sooners.
Dart was asked about the Sooners and their new starting quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], and he heaped praise on the true sophomore.
“Jackson’s awesome,” Dart said. “He has a really bright future, super talented kid, I look forward to playing against him this year and I look forward to him having a really successful year for himself as well.”
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart discusses Jackson Arnold and facing Oklahoma in October:
“Jackson is awesome…he has a really bright future.”
“It’s a game that I feel like our fan base is really looking forward to. It’s going to be a super electric environment.”#Sooners pic.twitter.com/qDiFCacgX3
— Josh Callaway (@JoshMCallaway) July 15, 2024
Josh Callaway of 247Sports’ Sooners Illustrated also shared more of Dart’s comments about the OU football program as a whole, including his excitement to play against the Sooners in 2024.
“It’s a game that I feel like our fan base is really looking forward to. It’s going to be a super electric environment,” Dart said. “I’m really looking forward to that game and playing against an elite program.”
Dart has a bit of a history with the Sooners, as Venables looked for his inaugural starting quarterback after [autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag] entered the transfer portal and made his way to Southern California in the winter of 2022. [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] was ultimately the choice to be the first starter of the new era, but OU was reportedly interested in Dart and other players like Chubba Purdy, the younger brother of Brock Purdy. Dart said that the Sooners made the final two for his transfer destination, but he ultimately chose Kiffin and the Rebels.
“To be honest it came down to Ole Miss and Oklahoma for me when I was in the portal,” Dart said. “I think that they’re gonna be really successful this year. Coach Venables does a great job of putting himself in a great situation and it’s gonna be fun to see him again and play against them.”
Ultimately, a tenuous situation worked out for both parties. Dart has blossomed into a star in Oxford under Kiffin. Venables got two seasons of veteran leadership from Gabriel before handing the keys to Arnold for the 2024 season and beyond.
The Sooners and the Rebels will face off on October 26th in Mississippi for a game that will kick off at either 11 a.m. or noon.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.