It\u2019s a good thing that Jaxson Dart\u2019s Plan A worked, because there wasn\u2019t another to fall back on. <\/p>\n
The former Ole Miss quarterback \u2014 who gained momentum as a potential first-round pick and a potential option for the Giants<\/a> in Thursday\u2019s 2025 NFL Draft \u2014 said he \u201calways expected\u201d to be in this position.<\/p>\n \u201cQuite honestly, this has just been something that I\u2019ve just expected since I was younger,\u201d Dart, 21, told The Post on Tuesday while discussing his partnership with Head & Shoulders<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI never saw my future or anything else playing out any differently than what it has. So, I\u2019m excited to embark on this next journey and this next phase of life. I have a great corner around me, family keeps me super grounded and we\u2019re just super down to earth people.\u201d<\/p>\n Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart looks to pass a ball during an offensive passing drill at the school\u2019s NFL football pro day, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Oxford, Miss. AP<\/p>\n That next chapter could be with the Giants, who hold the No. 3 pick in the draft and are in need of a young quarterback.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a historic and legendary organization\u00a0to play for,\u201d Dart said of the possibility of playing for Giants head coach Brian Daboll in New York. \u201cAnd all I can say is I\u2019ll turn up the city and win a lot of games and win Super Bowls.\u201d <\/p>\n Dart has been on teams\u2019 radar leading up to Thursday\u2019s draft. <\/p>\n Some evaluations have him going off the draft board before Colorado product Shedeur Sanders<\/a>, who was once viewed as a potential top-three pick.<\/p>\n Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart throws a pass during the first half of the Senior Bowl NCAA college football game against the National team Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, in Mobile, Ala. AP<\/p>\n Dart emphasized that he was grateful to develop under Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin for three seasons as a starter from 2022-24 \u2014 where he led the Rebels to three bowl games and had the team in contention for the College Football Playoff in his final season.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing able to develop in college was huge for me because I felt like I was at the best place that I could have been to help me go to this next step,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart and Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin. Instagram\/Jaxson Dart <\/p>\n Dart couldn\u2019t help but smile when he was asked about his relationship with Kiffin, which he described as a \u201creally good friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s unique. I think for me, I\u2019ve been able to make a special relationship with him, and it\u2019s going to go far beyond just the time that I played for him there,\u201d Dart said. \u201cIt\u2019s honestly just really turned into a really good friendship. Even (sometimes) throughout this process, I\u2019ve taken the trip back to Oxford just to hang out and go play pickleball or just be around the facilities and just talk about random stuff with him.<\/p>\n \u201cMy experience with coach Kiff has kind of been like a rollercoaster, I would say, from the first time that I got there to how I left it with them. But I\u2019ve been super grateful and fortunate to play for him and just grateful for the special connection that we built.\u201d<\/p>\n Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin looks to the scoreboard after a Vanderbilt score during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. AP<\/p>\n Now, Dart is ready for the opportunity to take his talents to the NFL while embracing adversity.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s going to be a lot that I got to learn and embrace adversity and whatnot, but I\u2019m really excited to just learn all the little details within the game and and really be the best leader competitor and player that I can be every time I step out on field,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n As Dart has risen in draft evaluations, he has been linked to the Giants amid rumors and speculation.<\/p>\n On Wednesday night, Giants general manager Joe Schoen\u2019s son posted a highlight reel of Dart <\/a>on Instagram and then set his account to private, according to multiple reports<\/a>. <\/p>\n Many fans took it as a potential hint that the Giants could draft Dart, potentially with the No. 3 pick or by trading back into the first round.<\/p>\n The Giants held a private workout with Dart before his Ole miss Pro Day.<\/p>\n The Giants are in need of a quarterback of the future after signing short-term deals with veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, but it\u2019s a matter of when they\u2019ll address that.<\/p>\n