Jaxson Dart is dreaming just like the rest of Big Blue Nation.
While on the sideline for his alma mater Ole Miss’ 31-27 College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Miami in a thriller, Dart was captured responding to a team staffer in a clip that has sent the internet ablaze.
Social media sleuths using all of the slow-motion tools available to them to slow down Dart’s lips appear to have caught the rookie quarterback giving a noteworthy update about the team’s coaching search.
Dart appeared to say, “I don’t know — [John] Harbaugh or [Kevin] Stefanski — but I don’t know,” based on interpretations from online lip readers.
It’s hard to really tell if that’s the entire sentence that came out of Dart’s mouth — after all, it’s just attempting to read his lips.
Still, it appears that the clearest moment is the unique three-syllable enunciation of the name “Stefanski” by the former Rebels’ star.
What is known, though, is that Stefanski and Harbaugh are both legitimate candidates for the job that opened after the Giants fired Brian Daboll after starting the season 2-8 en route to a 4-13 finish.
The Giants are expected to pursue Harbaugh this offseason after he was shockingly fired by the Ravens following three consecutive disappointing finishes.
An interview has not yet been scheduled, as of Friday morning, and he reportedly may not begin interviewing until next week.
Meanwhile, Stefanski, the two-time Coach of the Year whom the Browns fired, interviewed with the team earlier this week after getting dinner and being brought into the facility.
The betting odds for the Giants’ next coach have an over 90 percent chance for the Giants to hire one of Harbaugh or Stefanski, but there are other candidates.
Ex-Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and ex-Cowboys and Packers coach Mike McCarthy are among the other options for the team.
General manager Joe Schoen repeatedly said the team will “cast a wide net” for a head coach, but there appears to be some early support for those two among the fan base.
Landing one of those two will likely require the Giants outmaneuvering other teams.
The Dolphins fired coach Mike McDaniel on Thursday and are expected to be major players for Harbaugh due to owner Stephen Ross’ affinity for the family.
The Giants are 44-104-1 since 2017, a horrific 29.9 percent win rate and the second-worst figure in the NFL behind only the Jets in that stretch.
Dart provides a reason for optimism and may be an enticing reason for coaches to come to East Rutherford.
A hire of a coach with a legitimate pedigree of success, like Harbaugh or Stefanski, would bring the franchise new life, but it’d also likely be increasingly expensive for ownership.
Both likely will command massive salaries.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
