Austin Simmons didn’t plan on leaving Oxford this early in his career, but college football rarely sticks to the script.
His injury late in the Kentucky game last season opened the door for Trinidad Chambliss, and once Chambliss took over the Ole Miss offense, Simmons never got the job back.
By January, the former Rebel quarterback was on the move. He entered the transfer portal and landed at Missouri with a fresh start and a new offense built around his strengths.
Now he’s settling in, earning praise from coaches and teammates at SEC Media Days on Monday, and preparing for a season that includes a return trip to Oxford on October 17.
It will be one of the more interesting moments on the schedule, especially coming a month after Lane Kiffin’s return with LSU.
Before that storyline arrives, Simmons has work to do. He appeared in eight games last season for Ole Miss, completing 45 of 75 passes for 744 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. Missouri is giving him the chance to reset, and early reviews from Columbia suggest he’s doing exactly that.
Eliah Drinkwitz didn’t hesitate when asked what Simmons brings to the offense.
“Anytime you have that intelligence factor that you can make same‑as comparisons, it helps you retain information quickly,” Drinkwitz said. “I think he has a photographic memory, which is usually high sense of intelligence. I think part of that intelligence gets him in trouble a little bit because he’s met his match as far as intelligence. There’s some things that he can’t get away with that maybe he got away with before.”
That’s not a criticism. Drinkwitz sees it as a good thing.
“Challenging each other is a way to grow,” he said. “I’m very excited. I think the best thing about Austin is his communication skills. He can communicate at a high level about what he’s seeing, what he understands, how routes are similar to what he’s done in the past that he really liked.”
Missouri’s staff is already tailoring the offense to him.
“We have a lot of flexibility in scheme,” Drinkwitz said. “It’s about we can take this concept and this concept and marry it to what Austin really likes. I think that’s what great coaches do.”
Drinkwitz also pointed to the receivers around Simmons, a group he believes will help the quarterback settle in quickly.
“Our wide receivers, Cayden Lee and Donovan Olugbode, Caleb Goodie, DaMarion Fowlkes, Naeshaun, Shaun Terry, freshmen, and Kenric Lanier,” he said. “I think those guys will do a really good job of being a strength for Austin Simmons.”
He didn’t stop there, though.
“Austin has been a tremendous addition to our football team,” Drinkwitz said. “I love the way he’s gone about his business, embracing his role as a leader of our team and a quarterback.”
Running back Jamal Roberts sees the same thing.
“I feel like it just makes it easier for quarterback to play quarterback and some of the guys that’s playing receiver to play receiver,” Roberts said. “We’ve got those guys at the running back position to be able to run the ball as well as we do. It makes it easier for the guys around us to do their jobs on the field as well.”
Roberts didn’t hesitate when asked for a scouting report.
“He’s not afraid to throw it. He’s definitely taking charge,” he said. “He’s keeping everybody on the same boat, same page, and we’re doing the same thing with him.”
Left tackle Cayden Green has already connected with Simmons off the field.
“Austin, he’s great. He really likes his O line,” Green, one of the nation’s best offensive lineman said. “We hang out all the time. He takes us out to eat. He hosts us. He’s a great leader, great energy.”
Green said the switch to a left‑handed quarterback hasn’t changed much for the line, but Simmons’ presence has.
“He’s been a great addition to the team.”
Simmons’ story at Ole Miss didn’t end the way he hoped, but he didn’t disappear. He found a new home, earned the trust of a new locker room, and stepped into a leadership role before ever taking a snap for Missouri.
And in mid‑October, he’ll walk back into Vaught‑Hemingway Stadium wearing different colors, leading a different offense, and facing the program he once expected to run.
It will be a return worth watching.
