The race for quarterback still on the minds of Ole Miss fans

Ole Miss fans are focused in on the quarterback position as kickoff with Mercer is only a couple days away.

The weekly SB Nation Reacts survey at Red Cup Rebellion showed nearly two in five Rebels fans will be watching the quarterbacks most closely come Saturday at 1 p.m. CT. The next highest position group is wide receiver at 29 percent where the departure of Jonathan Mingo and Malik Heath to the NFL leaves a bit of a void.

Linebacker and defensive back were further down the list with new defensive coordinator Pete Golding coming to Ole Miss from Alabama. The Rebels added the number one recruit in the state, LB Suntarine Perkins, Louisville transfer Monty Montgomery and UCF transfer Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste to the roster since last season - most likely shoring up that position.

With defensive backs, Davison Igbinosun, AJ Finley and Otis Reese all departed for other schools or the NFL, and a lot of questions potentially linger. Deantre Prince returns as the likely leader at cornerback along with North Texas transfer Deshawn Gaddie Jr., and at safety, Isheem Young and Ladarius Tennison return from last season while bolstered by transfers John Saunders Jr. (Miami OH) and Daijahn Anthony (Liberty).

Clearly, in Lane Kiffin’s offense, the quarterback is vital to sustained success, and Dart brings a season of experience in the ups and downs of SEC play to the table. He’s pretty obviously the guy who will be under center, but Rebels fans likely want a dominant win over Mercer to make a statement to start the season. We’ll see very soon how he fares.

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