True freshman quarterback Jaxson Dart tore his meniscus during his USC debut against Washington State on Saturday, sources have told USCFootball.com. Dart underwent minor surgery this week and is expected to be out for an extended period of time.
Dart was electric in his debut performance against the Cougars, finishing with 30 completions out of 46 attempts for 391 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions after he entered the game following a neck injury sustained by starting quarterback Kedon Slovis on the Trojans’ opening offensive possession.
Dart played with a gunslinger’s mentality, as offensive coordinator Graham Harrell put it. The true freshman broke the record for most passing yards by a USC quarterback in a debut. He reached that milestone prior to the end of the game, notching 308 yards by the third quarter. Dart was named the 247Sports True Freshman of the Week.
The quarterback appeared to be injured, however, on the final drive of the first half when Washington State’s Jaylen Watson dove at his knees on a read-option run. Dart finished the drive, connecting with Gary Bryant Jr. on a fourth-and-9 for a momentum-shifting 38-yard touchdown pass. Dart returned with a brace on his right knee after the halftime break and wore it for the remainder of the game, occasionally showing a slight limp.
During the USC-produced Trojans Live show on Monday, interim head coach Donte Williams listed Dart as “day-to-day” after getting “dinged up” on Saturday. Williams added that Dart would be held out, presumably of practice this week, as a precautionary measure.
Players are usually in attendance for USC’s weekly practices even if they do not participate. However, Dart was not seen on Howard Jones Field during the team’s open practices Tuesday and Wednesday. Williams was asked for a status update on Dart during his Thursday press conference but didn’t provide any new information.
“I know everyone wants to ask about our quarterback situation,” Williams said. “There’s no new updates right there. We’ll all find out on Saturday at the game.”
The interim head coach was also asked the motive behind keeping details on Dart’s status private.
“It’s not really a mystery,” Williams said. “Like I said, we’re just making sure we protect Jaxson from Jaxson … So right now, we have Kedon and Miller [Moss] that practiced yesterday, and I’m happy to talk about those guys. And we’ll see the quarterback situation Saturday in the game.”
Dart, who picked up a USC scholarship offer in the middle of his senior season, led Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon to a 14-0 record throwing for 4,691 passing yards, a 69.6 completion percentage mark and 67 passing touchdowns to just four interceptions. He also ran for 1,195 yards and 14 more scores. He was named the 2020 MaxPreps Utah High School Football Player of the Year and the Gatorade National Player of the Year. Dart committed to the Trojans over Arizona State, BYU and UCLA in December’s early signing period.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Dart saw a massive rise in his rankings following his historic senior season. He finished as the No. 69 overall prospect and the No. 10 quarterback, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Dart’s injury promotes true freshman Miller Moss to the team’s backup quarterback for the time being. Slovis, who is still working through the neck injury he suffered on Saturday, was a full participant during USC’s Tuesday practice, but his status for the team’s matchup against Oregon State is unclear at the moment.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
