Freshman Jaxson Dart was named USC's No. 2 quarterback behind entrenched starter Kedon Slovis last week, and so Tuesday he was asked when's the last time he was the backup QB for any of his teams over the years.

He smiled wide and laughed.

"Never, actually," he said. "So I’m excited for this new role. I think it’s going to teach me a lot. Kedon is obviously a great guy to learn from, he has a ton of experience here and has a ton of knowledge. So I’m super excited, and I’ll just be prepared and keep trying to learn."

USC coach Clay Helton announced the news last Thursday and noted that Dart's performance in scrimmages and live action gave him the edge over fellow freshman Miller Moss.

Tuesday, meanwhile, was reporters' first chance to ask offensive coordinator Graham Harrell and Dart about it.

Harrell reiterated the same reasoning Helton gave for the decision.

"I think like we talked about before is just in 11-on-11 drills you get to move a little more with Jaxson in there, but I think they both play at a really high level," he said. "Even since then we've continued to give Miller some reps and he's probably had his best couple weeks of practice, best week of practice since then, and that speaks volumes about him staying locked in and preparing the right way and continuing to compete. And that's the key.

"But both talented guys, different players, and bring different things to the offense, but they've both done a really good job. And like I said, even this last week, or today was one of Miller's better days since he's been here. So that speaks volumes about him continuing to compete."

Moss did have a big highlight Thursday, prior to the offense breaking off into scout team work, throwing a perfect deep ball down the middle to Michael Jackson III for a long touchdown.

He kept the pressure on Dart through the month of August, but Dart shined the brightest during the Trojans' two preseason scrimmages and going back to the spring game in April.

"Obviously, I was super excited. It was a goal of mine coming in here. There’s a ton of competition in our room, and that made us all better. It really pushed us. I’m just super grateful to be in the spot that I am, and I’m going to keep working to keep it and keep succeeding," Dart said. "I feel like I’m ready. I feel like I’ve made a lot of progression throughout my time here, within just the playbook and getting timing and my reads down with the guys. When my number is called, I feel like I’ll be ready and prepared to do my job."

Dart said his biggest area of growth since he arrived at USC has been in his footwork and working through his progressions.

"I’d never been taught super structured on my footwork and just offensive scheme and that stuff. So I think just my understanding of the game has definitely evolved a lot since I’ve been here, and I’m super excited about it," he said. "... I’ve learned that I have to make quick adjustments, and I've got to learn fast. It’s a little different being in high school. You get all the reps, you get to have all the time to work on your craft. Now in this position, you only have so many reps, so you have to take advantage of every single one of them."

As for the biggest lesson he's taken from his time at USC so far ...

"'SC and Corner Canyon [High School] love to push the ball, love explosive plays. I think a big thing I’ve learned since I’ve been here is when I was at Corner I had such dynamic receivers, so I could take a shot all the time. And I think being here, just in a college atmosphere and just the players here, they’re a lot better, so you have to learn when is your time to take advantage and go for a shot and when is the right time to check it down," Dart said. "Completions to studs on our team, a five-yard completion could turn into a touchdown. I would just say going through progressions, and I think my time at corner really helped me to just be able to be in an Air Raid offense."

Dart and Moss came into USC as the No. 106 and 108-ranked prospects nationally in the 2021 recruiting class.

Dart set Utah state records last fall while leading Corner Canyon to an undefeated Utah 6A state championship season and was later named the Gatorade national player of the year. And since arriving on campus, he's played his best in the biggest moments -- the spring game and those two August scrimmages.

In the first scrimmage this month, Dart threw the offense's only three touchdowns of the day (two from short-field drives), and he delivered a quick scoring drive to start the second scrimmage before later ending on an interception in the end zone. Like he said, he's not afraid to take his shot.

For now, though, he'll have to show some patience while waiting behind Slovis.

"I was able to win the job my freshman year in high school, so like I said, I’ve never been able to sit behind somebody, so this whole thing is kind of a new experience for me," Dart said. "But I think that me and Kedon have such a good relationship that we’re just going to help push each other. It’s going to be something where on the sidelines, I see something, he sees something, we’re going to talk about it. I think this position I’m in and that Kedon is in this year is definitely going to benefit both of us."