Austin Simmons began last season as the starter for an Ole Miss team that went to the College Football Playoff.
But by the time the Rebels were playing in the CFP, Simmons had already pretty much picked out his next destination, the Missouri Tigers.
This is what ESPN’s Mark Schlabach wrote on January 2, before Ole Miss played its CFP Semifinal against Miami:
“Sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that Missouri is Simmons’ likely landing spot and that he is entering the transfer portal with a no-contact tag, meaning other schools aren’t permitted to reach out to him.”
The transfer portal moves quickly. Simmons didn’t waste any time.
Now, he’s in the spotlight as Mizzou’s starting quarterback.
Why Did Austin Simmons Transfer From Ole Miss?
Simmons didn’t feel like he had a quarterback job at Ole Miss anymore, and he was right.
He began last season as the Ole Miss starter, and in a 63-7 win over Georgia State, he threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns.
The next week against Kentucky, Simmons hurt his left ankle. That injury was the beginning of the end for him with the Rebels.
Trinidad Chambliss had come to Ole Miss from Division II Ferris State to be the backup QB, but once he got on the field, he never left an opportunity for Simmons to take the job back.
Chambliss was electric in leading Ole Miss to the CFP, and he then successfully appealed this offseason to maintain eligibility and remain the Rebels’ QB.
Simmons entered the offseason with two years of eligibility remaining, and he certainly didn’t want his college career to end the way it did.
Intriguingly, Simmons had also spent time at Ole Miss on the baseball team as a relief pitcher, but he appears to be currently focused on playing quarterback.
Why Missouri Got Austin Simmons
Mizzou was a perfect fit for Simmons.
The Tigers had already seen that Simmons could play at an SEC level, so they didn’t need to project what that might look like.
They also had their 2025 starter, Beau Pribula, enter the transfer portal. Pribula is now the starting quarterback at Virginia.
Pribula and Sam Horn had both gotten injured last season for Missouri, which pushed freshman Matt Zollers into action, and the Tigers knew they needed a passer with more experience.
That made Simmons the choice. He gets a chance to revive his college football career after he, in essence, got Wally Pipp’d by Chambliss. And if you need a Wally Pipp refresher — he was the guy who took a day off for the early 1920s Yankees, allowing Lou Gehrig to start the first game of his record-setting consecutive games streak.
Simmons can play, but Chambliss just took the job at Ole Miss and ran with it. Now, the lefty Simmons is trying to prove himself again at a new SEC program.
Why Austin Simmons Transferred From Ole Miss, Chose Missouri