Some teams have their starter named months ahead of the season, while others bring the decision down to the wire. The Ole Miss Rebels are one of the latter.

Head coach Lane Kiffin was recently asked who the team’s starting signal-caller would be ahead of the season opener against Troy. He didn’t give a clear answer.

“We still have not made a quarterback decision,” Kiffin said in Monday’s press conference. “We haven’t even discussed a timeline as coaches because no one has emerged at all.”

Many expected USC transfer Jaxson Dart to have the edge, an early dark-horse Heisman Trophy candidate who even brought pass-catcher Michael Trigg with him from the Trojans after deciding to transfer. Dart and fellow sophomore Luke Altmyer have gone back and forth during camp in terms of who has had the upper hand, and it has clearly been difficult to pinpoint just who is the better option. Hence, Ole Miss is in this position as it faces the tough task of replacing star quarterback Matt Corral, now with the Carolina Panthers.

Where upside is concerned, the popular opinion trends toward Dart having the higher ceiling. Altmyer — who has at times shown flashes, and at other times has looked like a young quarterback still trying to come into his own — has a year of experience with the team that Dart lacks as a newcomer to Oxford.

Both showed some decision-making and turnover issues early that seem to be getting a bit better, though they could still afford to grow as passers. Such so often holds true with players who don’t have a ton of experience under their belts just yet. While he’s still a bit rough around the edges, Dart has shown some Corral-esque traits between his mobility and some of the things he brings to the table as a passer.

As a true freshman last season stepping into Kedon Slovis’ place, Dart completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 1,353 yards with 9 touchdowns and 5 interceptions over 6 games at USC. Altmyer was good for 54.1 percent completions with 192 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions over 4 appearances. One of Altmyer’s longest stretches came in the Sugar Bowl, when Corral sustained an injury. Altmyer came in to throw for 174 yards on 28 attempts over 3 quarters.

While there seems to be a sense that 1 quarterback will assume the reins, Kiffin didn’t rule out a co-starter situation.

“You guys know I don’t anticipate a lot. I live in the moment and the day,” Kiffin said. “I don’t anticipate that (not naming a starting quarterback), but I wouldn’t say that wouldn’t happen.”

Regardless, Kiffin hasn’t been in a rush to name the full-time starter, and he sees disadvantages in not taking the process slowly enough.

“One thing, over the years, I’ve probably slowed down in the decision-making of it, because you can be wrong,” Kiffin said. “They’re wrong in the NFL. They take people in the top 10 picks that don’t pan out. It’s a hard position to evaluate, so we just try to go as slow as we can and get the most information we can before we make a decision.”

It will be interesting to see which player assumes the helm — and if he alone has it for the entirety of the game — when Ole Miss and Troy kick off at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday.