OXFORD ― Jaxson Dart has given Ole Miss football plenty of reasons to be excited about the quarterback position, delivering a strong 2023 performance that has earned him some Heisman hype heading into 2024.

But what about the other quarterbacks on the Rebels' schedule?

We ranked the 12 quarterbacks Ole Miss is set to play against this season.

1. Carson Beck, Georgia

Carson Beck is back for the Bulldogs after leading the SEC with 3,941 passing yards a season ago, making him a no-brainer to top this list. He was particularly ruthless against Ole Miss, throwing for 306 yards, two touchdowns and an interception before he was removed amid a blowout.

2. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

Garrett Nussmeier tore up Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl, posting a 31-for-45 showing with three touchdowns and an interception in his lone start of the season. That showing marked a big step forward from some of his performances off the bench in 2022 and should position him as one of the more exciting new starters in the SEC heading into next season.

3. Graham Mertz, Florida

Graham Mertz might never be an elite power-conference QB, but he showed last season that he can efficiently manage games after three turnover-laden seasons at Wisconsin. Playing behind a poor offensive line, he achieved a 72.9% completion percentage and threw 20 touchdowns to just three interceptions.

4. Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma

It seems like the Sooners always have a stud under center. They hope Jackson Arnold can be the next one. Following Dillon Gabriel's departure to Oregon, Arnold, a sophomore and former five-star prospect, will be tasked with leading the Sooners into their SEC era. He got one start last season in the bowl game against Arizona, where he threw for 361 yards with two touchdowns but gave the ball away three times. He's a boom-or-bust name on this list.

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5. Blake Shapen, Mississippi State

In eight games last season at Baylor, Blake Shapen accumulated 2,188 yards passing and paired 13 touchdowns with three interceptions while missing a few games with an injury. We'll have to see how that translates to the SEC, but Shapen looks like a solid starting place for new coach Jeff Lebby at the QB position.

6. Taylen Green, Arkansas

Talyen Green seems to have emerged to be the Razorbacks' quarterback coming out of the spring. In two full seasons at Boise State, he threw for 3,794 yards, 25 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He also rushed for over 1,000 yards. Clearly, he's a dynamic presence, but those turnover numbers will have to come down.

7. Brock Vandagriff, Kentucky

Brock Vandagriff is a former five-star prospect who arrived at Kentucky this offseason after three years in reserve at Georgia. He's got 23 career dropbacks, so it's difficult to know exactly what the Wildcats have in Vandagriff, but it's clear he's got the physical tools. Can he make them translate?

8. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

In perhaps the most wishy-washy way possible, Shane Beamer said LaNorris Sellers is his guy, "for now," having outperformed Auburn transfer Robby Ashford this spring. Sellers sat behind Spencer Rattler as a freshman last year. At 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, he'll be an intriguing quarterback prospect to watch should he manage to hang onto the job through the summer.

9. Nicholas Vattiato, Middle Tennessee State

Taking over the MTSU program, Derek Mason managed to retain a pretty productive Group of Five quarterback in Nicholas Vattiato, who threw for 3,092 yards with 23 touchdowns last season. Vattiato is a threat with his legs, too. He does turn the ball over a bit too often, though, throwing 13 interceptions in 12 games last year.

10. Michael Kern, Hank Bachmeier or Jeremy Hecklinski, Wake Forest

The quarterback position is an open question for Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons added Hank Bachmeier, who achieved middling results last season at Louisiana Tech and previously played for Boise State. Returner Michael Kern attempted 92 passes last season, and Wake Forest added an exciting freshman in Jeremy Hecklinski, who is the program's highest-rated QB commit in the 247Sports Composite era.

11. Dexter Williams, JC French or David Dallas, Georgia Southern

Clay Helton's Georgia Southern team has an ongoing quarterback competition among three players who lack experience at the Division I level. JC French and David Dallas played behind Davis Brin at GSU last season, while Dexter Williams is a transfer from Indiana who never saw consistent playing time for the Hoosiers.

12. Carson Jones, Furman

The Paladins advanced to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs last season with Tyler Huff handling most of the snaps under center. Huff moved on to Jacksonville State this offseason. His backup, Carson Jones, stuck around, He completed 56% of his passes for 542 yards with seven touchdowns in six games last season.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ranking the quarterbacks on the 2024 Ole Miss football schedule