Jaxson Dart modeled his game after Jalen Hurts, who thinks the Giants rookie QB is ‘a hell of a player’

There are ‘a lot of similarities there,’ says Lane Kiffin, who coached Hurts and Dart.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff and Butch Dill / AP

Published Oct. 8, 2025, 5:36 p.m. ET

When Jaxson Dart looks across the football field on Thursday night as the New York Giants host the Eagles, he’ll see a quarterback he admires and models his game after.

Before he became the Giants’ starting quarterback in Week 4 and — and even before he was selected with the 25th pick of the 2025 NFL draft — Dart confessed at his NFL scouting combine podium earlier this year that Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had been an inspiration to his game.

“I feel like it’s a little bit of a cop out, because he just won the Super Bowl, but I love J-Hurts and what he does. I feel like I’m very similar in my play style to him,” Dart said when asked who he models his game after. “I feel like we can do a lot of the same things, and obviously he’s an elite player, and I’m trying to reach that level.

“He’s been somebody that I’ve tried to resemble my game after, just because of his versatility being able to run and throw the ball — just, you know, how strong he is in the pocket. I think that’s something that I’ve had a lot of fun watching and observing his play style.”

Dart, who began his college career at Southern California in 2021, transferred to Mississippi, and became a three-year starter under Lane Kiffin, compiling over 10,000 passing yards and 72 touchdowns. Like Hurts, Dart also threatens defenses with his running ability. He scored 14 rushing touchdowns in college.

When asked by New York media about his comments regarding Hurts ahead of Thursday’s matchup, Dart again praised the Eagles quarterback — and said he’s looking forward to facing him.

“I love his mentality, his every day accountability of himself, and at the same time, raising the bar for his teammates,” Dart said Tuesday. “That was something as an early college player, being able to look up to guys like that. So it’s going to be really cool to be on the same field with him, and being able to compete against him, and at the same time him just being a really good competitor, and being able to do a lot of things with his arm and with his legs and putting his team in really good situations.”

The respect apparently goes both ways.

“I got a lot of respect for his game,” Hurts said Tuesday when asked about Dart looking up to him. “I know he’s played for Coach Kiffin. He’s a hell of a player, and he’s honestly in a great situation to learn a lot. I’m rooting for his success.”

Through his first two starts, Dart has completed 39 of 60 passes for 322 yards, with three touchdowns to two interceptions. He’s also run the ball 19 times for 102 yards and a score. Hurts, through his first two NFL starts in 2020, completed 41 of 74 passes for 505 yards and four touchdowns, and added another 169 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

Kiffin, who joined Sunday NFL Countdown ahead of Dart’s first career start against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 28, coached Dart and Hurts in college. The Ole Miss coach was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Alabama when Hurts was a freshman and sees similarities between the two quarterbacks as well.

“We had Jalen as a freshman and at Alabama, he’s SEC Player of the Year, and there is a lot of similarities there. … The way that they play and run with the ball and their passion for [the game], Kiffin said, ”but that’s got to be controlled too, because this is a big stage, and they’re a really good defense he’s playing today, so he’s going to be really composed early on and not try to do too much."

The Giants beat the Chargers, 21-18, in Dart’s debut for their lone win of the season.

Hurts and Dart also have another coach in common: Brian Daboll. The Giants head coach was Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017, when Hurts was a sophomore, and now Daboll is coaching Dart.