Ole Miss sophomore quarterback Austin Simmons plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal after two seasons with the Rebels, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.
Simmons opened the 2025 season as the team’s starter, leading them to wins against Georgia State and Kentucky. He went down with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of the win over the Wildcats though, and was forced to miss multiple games. In place of him, transfer quarterback Trinidad Chambliss took over and led the Rebels to four consecutive wins. When Simmons returned from injury, he was slotted in as the team’s backup behind Chambliss.
He played as a reserve to starter Jaxson Dart in 2024, appearing in nine games while completing 19 of 32 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns. During the spring, he won the starting job despite his lack of experience and looked poised for a breakout year before the injury to his ankle.
Simmons will now enter the transfer portal as one of the more intriguing quarterback options on the market. He’ll have two years of eligibility remaining, and will be a graduate transfer.
He played his prep football at Pahokee (Fla.), where he was a four-star prospect. During his sophomore season, Simmons reclassified up two full years from the Class of 2025 to 2023, as he had already completed the requisite courses to graduate. A one-time Florida commit, he flipped his pledge to the Rebels in June 2023, and signed with Ole Miss later that summer to enroll at the school in August.
He was the No. 266 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting media companies.
Missouri the favorite to land Simmons
An interesting wrinkle in Simmons’ decision to transfer is that, according to Fawcett, he will remain with the Rebels until the end of their College Football Playoff run. Ole Miss beat No. 3 Georgia on Thursday and next plays against Miami on January 8.
Simmons’ decision is an atypical one, as players usually move on once they enter the portal. However, it looks as though he may already have his next destination already picked out. Soon after news broke that he was entering portal, it was revealed by ESPN’s Pete Thamel and On3’s Pete Nakos that Simmons went in with a do-not-contact tag.
Missouri is also considered to be the strong favorite to land him, according to Thamel. The Tigers are replacing 2025 starter Beau Pribula, who announced his intentions to enter the portal last month after just one season in Columbia.
Interestingly enough, Pribula was also on a team in the midst of a CFP run when he chose to enter the portal. However, he opted to leave the Nittany Lions’ program instead of staying through the end of their season.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.