Austin Simmons to Transfer from Ole Miss

As Ole Miss gears up for the College Football Playoff, one of their quarterbacks has announced plans to transfer. Austin Simmons, who began the season as the starter but lost his position to Trinidad Chambliss, is set to enter the transfer portal, according to various reports.

ESPN reported recently that Simmons is likely heading to Missouri State. It seems he’ll enter the portal with a non-contact designation, which means he can’t communicate with other programs just yet.

Simmons started the first two games for the Rebels but suffered an ankle injury in September. He’ll be transferring as a graduate student with two years of eligibility left. Interestingly, he graduated early from the University of Mississippi in May 2025 after advancing two grades in high school and earning an associate’s degree from Miami Dade College before he turned 17.

After taking a redshirt season in 2023, Simmons backed up current Giants quarterback Jackson Dart in 2024, appearing in nine games that year. This season, in eight games, he completed 45 out of 75 passes for 744 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions.

Although Simmons has only started two games in his college career, he’s considered one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal cycle. Despite his transfer intentions, he plans to stay with Ole Miss as they participate in the College Football Playoff, facing Miami in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Thursday.

This development adds to the uncertainty surrounding Ole Miss, as the team is also dealing with rumors about some assistant coaches possibly moving to join Lane Kiffin’s staff at LSU. A source from within Ole Miss mentioned that some coaches, despite having signed with LSU, are hesitant to leave a Rebels team that is just two wins away from a national championship.

“There will be fireworks,” the source remarked, acknowledging the tumultuous situation. “We always knew this was a possibility.”