OXFORD — Jaxson Dart is sticking out his jaw and inviting the forthcoming punch.

He can't know for certain who will throw it. Maybe South Carolina in Week 6. Maybe LSU a week later. Perhaps one of the Rebels' nonconference opponents. But the Ole Miss football quarterback knows it's coming eventually. So why dread it? It can provide his team with so much valuable information.

"I think any time when you bring a big haul of transfer portal guys, it's going to be interesting the first time we face some adversity," Dart said last week. "I thought that kind of defined our season last year is how we handled those situations. That's something that I'm really looking forward to seeing and I want to embrace that and take it full on."

The Rebels won all four of their one-score games en route to an 11-win season in 2023. Little value in the margins was left unclaimed by coach Lane Kiffin's team.

A dramatically improved locker room atmosphere helped drive that success, the Rebels have repeatedly said.

Now, Ole Miss is prepping for preseason practice with what Kiffin believes is the most talented roster of his soon-to-be five-year tenure. It's also a roster shaped by considerable transfer portal turnover. Under Kiffin, that's just the way the Rebels work.

With all the new faces, can Ole Miss strike the same harmonious balance in the locker room? It might be the most important question for the Rebels to answer before they kick off the season on Aug. 31 against Furman. And, as Dart put it, the success or failure of those efforts might not become apparent until Ole Miss gets "punched in the mouth."

For now, though, the Rebels like where they are.

"I think from my first year here to right now watching the culture build has been unbelievable," veteran defensive lineman Jared Ivey said. "... The biggest thing is getting to know guys on a more personal level than just going out there on the field. Spending time with guys outside of the game and asking questions and just really getting to know guys. It makes you more excited and it makes you go harder for guys you know and love."

Kiffin said he's encountered quarterbacks who contribute negatively to the locker room because of their ego, calling it a natural development for players who always have the ball in their hands.

Dart, by contrast, might be the Rebels' most powerful culture-building force.

"He's so well grounded that I don't think that's an issue with him," Kiffin said. "And I've said before that he's just a really unique leader. He would be a phenomenal head coach by the way he just impacts people around him."

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He commands respect through self-criticism, wide receiver Tre Harris said.

Harris, who also roomed with Dart last year on road trips, said the quarterback has asked Harris to be critical of him during their conversations.

Now in his third season leading the Ole Miss offense, that request is a mark of maturity – a quality the Rebels have in great supply. Eighteen of their 24 transfer additions this offseason are seniors. The other six are juniors. Ole Miss also returns 12 players who started a Peach Bowl win over Penn State.

"Since you know everybody on this team is talented, you have to bring something extra," Harris said. "You have to bring that extra oomph.

"Everybody's trying to push each other to go as hard as possible. That's one thing that everybody understands. With there being so much talent on our team, there's a lot of guys that are going to be NFL Draft eligible. We all understand what our end goal is, not only trying to get a national title but also trying to get to the NFL. We all push each other to get to that goal."

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Lane Kiffin: Ole Miss roster approach works, thanks to Jaxson Dart