Simmons Takes Center Stage: Ole Miss Transfer Named Missouri’s 2026 Starting Quarterback

Columbia, Mo.—Less than a year after his last snap in Oxford, Austin Simmons has already secured the most coveted job on Missouri’s campus. Head coach Eliah Drinkwitz confirmed Tuesday that the redshirt-sophomore transfer from Ole Miss will open 2026 as the Tigers’ starting quarterback, ending a spring competition that began when Simmons arrived in January.

The announcement marks the latest twist in a career that has moved at breakneck speed. A former top-ranked high-school passer, Simmons sat out 2023 as a redshirt, then appeared in nine games for the Rebels in 2024. When Jaxson Dart moved on, Simmons was anointed Ole Miss’ QB1 heading into 2025. An ankle injury in Week 2 sidelined him for multiple games, however, and backup Trinidad Chambliss seized the role, leaving Simmons to finish the year 45-of-75 for 744 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions across six appearances.

Now healthy and immersed in Missouri’s system, Simmons has convinced coaches he can replicate the ball-security emphasis that Lane Kiffin preached at Ole Miss last August. “We continue to emphasize … taking care of the football at that position,” Kiffin said at the time, noting that discipline had fueled the Rebels’ recent success. Simmons will be expected to bring that same mindset to an SEC East program looking to rebound in 2026.

While Simmons settles into his new starting role, Ole Miss continues re-tooling its quarterback room. Chambliss is set to return, joined by former five-star Auburn transfer Deuce Knight and Walker Howard, who previously played at UL-Lafayette. The Rebels open spring practice later this week under a retooled staff hoping to recreate the stability Simmons was once projected to provide.

For Simmons, the focus is now on translating offseason reps into Saturday production—this time in black and gold.