Utah native Jaxson Dart had a memorable college football debut for USC last week, but it will reportedly be awhile before he plays again.
The former Corner Canyon and Roy High quarterback had surgery on a torn meniscus and is expected to miss significant time, as first reported by 247 Sports.
Dart, a true freshman, replaced injured three-year starter Kedon Slovis during the first quarter of the Trojans’ 45-14 win over Washington State last Saturday. He threw for 391 yards, a record for a USC quarterback in their debut, four touchdowns and two interceptions in helping the Trojans rally from a 14-0 deficit to roll past the Cougars.
Dart, who also ran for a team-high 32 yards in the game, hurt his right knee during the second quarter against Washington State and spent the second half with a heavy sleeve on it, per ESPN.
Earlier this week, USC interim coach Donte Williams was complimentary of how Dart looked in his first college action and indicated then that Dart would compete with Slovis for the right to start this Saturday against Oregon State.
“He definitely made some plays with his legs, just buying time,” Williams told the Los Angeles Times. “And even when he got dinged up for a second, just for him to stay in that game and continue to battle, that shows what kind of warrior he is. He made some throws that in my point of view were great throws down the field.”
Dart, though, wasn’t seen during the open portion of Trojans practices on Tuesday or Wednesday, 247 Sports reported, and Williams did not provide an update on his status when asked Thursday.
“It’s not really a mystery,” Williams said, per 247 Sports. “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.”