Hopefully he doesn’t turn to the dark side in New York
The New York Giants have a new quarterback in Jaxson Dart, who made a name for himself at Ole Miss not only as a passer but for his signature eye black, often smudged above and below just his right eye. It turns out the 2025 first-round draft pick took inspiration from a galaxy far, far away for the style choice, revealing recently that the eye black is a “tribute” to Anakin Skywalker, who bears a scar over his eye in “Star Wars.”
“I [started] it back in my junior year of high school,” Dart explained to ESPN. “The first time I saw it was on an LSU defensive back. … I did it on one eye, and somebody pointed out to me [the similarities] — one of my friends who’s also a huge ‘Star Wars’ fan — and ever since then, I’ve kinda run with it.”
Dart told “SportsCenter” ahead of the draft that he’s been a “Star Wars” fan since he was a kid, even enjoying a childhood birthday party in which his dad dressed up as Darth Vader. With longer hair and the one-eye makeup, he most resembles Anakin from “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” which just so happens to be his favorite of the “Star Wars” saga … and back in movie theaters for the 20th anniversary of its release.
Drafted 25th overall on Thursday after the Giants traded up to select him, Dart is expected to sit behind veteran Russell Wilson to open his 2025 rookie season. Whether he brings balance to the Force in New York thereafter remains to be seen, but for the time being, he is, in fact, the chosen one.
