The former Corner Canyon gunslinger who has hit the ground running in his rookie year as a New York Giant says the Chargers’ selection to compete for a national football title will raise the profile of all the powerhouse prep programs across the state of Utah.
“What an opportunity to represent — obviously, the school district, but the whole state of Utah,” Jaxson Dart, the 25thoverall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, says in this week’s episode of Connect Canyons, Canyons District’s podcast. “I feel like this state is very unappreciated when it comes to a national landscape of talent.”
One of Canyons’ most high-profile graduates, Dart took a few moments out of his packed schedule as Big Blue’s starting quarterback to appear on this week’s episode to connect quarterback-to-quarterback with Superintendent Dr. Rick Robins, a Southern Utah University Hall of Famer who still holds the school record for most consecutive football starts.
In the conversation with Dr. Robins, Dart, who also is the nephew of Corner Canyon High Assistant Principal Katie Campbell, reflected on his prep and college careers, the influence that CCHS Coach Eric Kjar has had on his life, and what it’s like to compete against the world’s best at MetLife Stadium.
Dart told Robins that he’s disappointed he won’t be able to be in Baltimore, Md., on Wednesday, Dec. 10 to support the Chargers, and his wide-receiver and defensive back brother, Diesel, at the high school football championship game at Under Armour Stadium.
The 2023-2025 6A state-champions Chargers, ranked No. 7 nationally, will face No. 2 St. Frances Academy in the first-national championship game. The winner of the “Overtime Nationals” contest, organized by Overtime Productions, will receive $250,000. The 5 p.m. game will air on ESPN2.
“I’m just super jealous and envious that those guys get to play in that. That is something I would have loved — and I know all my teammates during my time there would have loved to play in this,” said Dart, leader of the 2020 CCHS championship team. “For Diesel and all the guys, I know this is something that they’re really looking forward to, and they’re really excited to put their name out there against the best.”
Robins recalled the first time he was introduced to Dart: At the Chargers’ 2020 state-title game against Lone Peak, a perennial rival of CCHS. “What really impressed me about meeting you that day was just … how humble you are,” Dr. Robins told Dart. “You’re a star quarterback — you don’t have to be that way. But it really speaks to you as a leader around your teammates and your friends. We now see that carry on into the NFL. We’re so proud of what you accomplished and what you represent.”
At Corner Canyon, Dart completed 67 passing touchdowns in his senior season. After earning his diploma and capturing the titles of the National Gatorade Player of the Year, Deseret News’ Mr. Football and the MaxPreps National Football Player of the Year, he headed to the University of Southern California to hit the gridiron for the Trojans. He transferred to the University of Mississippi, where he became the primary starter across the final three seasons of his collegiate career. He left Ole Miss as the winningest quarterback in the school’s history.
“Yeah, it’s definitely been wild to, you know, kind of take a step back and look through each experience,” Dart said. “It’ kind of crazy to see everything that’s come to fruition (since high school) … going to Corner Canyon was huge for me because it put me on a national landscape.”
Dart says he thrived in Coach Kjar’s program, where the standard is excellence. He called Kjar “a schematic mastermind” in his ability to develop players’ skills, talents, and instincts.
In fact, Kjar has developed a national reputation for building a “quarterback factory” at CCHS. Dart joins such marquee names as Zach and Isaac Wilson, Devin Brown, and Helaman Casuga as products of the CCHS program.
“You want to be a part of a culture, a part of an environment where everybody’s going to push each other to be the best that they can be,” he said. “And I think that Coach Kjar does an amazing job at bringing that mindset each and every day to his players and to his coaching staff.”
Headed into the national contest, Dart says the game may come down to the strength of Corner Canyon’s defense. “You know, how are they going to be able to slow the game down, stop the explosive plays, and control the line of scrimmage,” he said. “I think it’s going to come down to the line of scrimmage and who’s going to be able to control the game that way.”
To the end of inspiring Canyons kids who are in search of direction, Robins asked Dart to look back on his career and education and, with the benefit of hindsight, “give advice to his 14- or 15-year-old self.”
“It’s definitely, you know, interesting to look back on. I know how I felt at 14, and growing up in high school, because for a little bit, I was like, ‘Man, I don’t even know if I’m going to be able to play college football,’” Dart said. “So, you just got to be able to find what you love and find your why of what you want to do. I think that that’ll help you fall back in times of adversity to push through and persevere through any hardships that you have.”
