Will Jaxson Dart return next season? Ole Miss QB's status explored

The Peach Bowl will be hotly contested between No. 11 Mississippi Rebels (10-2) and No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2) at noon ET on Saturday.

It will be Penn State's maiden appearance on the Peach Bowl stage, while Mississippi will aim for its third appearance. The Nittany Lions chase history, trying to conquer all New Year's Six bowls. The Rebels, on the other hand, are after their first-ever 11-win season.

Ole Miss v Alabama

Will Jaxson Dart, the Ole Miss star quarterback, be back next year? The junior carried the Rebels past Louisiana-Monroe 35-3 on Saturday but remains tight-lipped about his future.

Coach Lane Kiffin's prediction of a return was met with silence from Dart.

“[I’m] just focused on the bowl game, Dart’s quote, as tweeted by NewsDay. “Focused on my preparation and doing my job to help put my team in the best situation to win and help make history here.”

Dart's decision could trigger a bidding war. Should he enter the transfer portal this week, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, and others will be eager to pounce.

Jaxson Dart is "jacked" about the Peach Bowl

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback cast a cloud over the upcoming Peach Bowl with his silence.

On December 28th, Jaxson Dart appeared on the "Like a Farmer Podcast" with host Pat Spinosa. Instead of addressing the swirling rumors, Dart chose to focus on the immediate task at hand, the Peach Bowl against Penn State.

“I'm just jacked because we have a chance," Dak enthusiastically told Spinosa. “Ole Miss has never done before, you know; it's there's never been an 11-win season in school history.”

He seemed pumped for the occasion, terming the game as a battle between a great defense against a great offense:

“I'm excited to go try to make history and do something that's never done been done before,” Jaxson Dart added, “It's going to be a battle, and it's going to be like such a fun game to watch…a great defense versus a great offense. It's going to be a brawl, and it's going to go all the way to the end, so I can't wait for it.”

Will winning the Peach Bowl affect Jaxson Dart's decision regarding a return? Only time will tell.

Read: "It’s a terrible system" - Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin hits out at transfer portal and bowl game schedules ahead of Peach Bowl