usatoday
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding is preparing for a challenging matchup on Saturday, Oct. 17, when his team faces former Rebels quarterback Austin Simmons, now starring for Missouri.
Simmons, who began the 2025 season as Mississippi's starter before an injury paved the way for Trinidad Chambliss, has thrived at Missouri. The 6-foot-4 quarterback has amassed 1,434 passing yards with 14 touchdowns and only one interception, guiding the Tigers to a 5-1 record and the No. 13 spot in the US LBM Coaches Poll.
Golding acknowledged that Ole Miss will have its hands full trying to contain Simmons and the Missouri offense. He also admitted that having more context than most about Simmons's rise makes the challenge even more daunting.
"It's scary to know how good he is and how talented he is," Golding said during his weekly news conference. "Love Austin, did an unbelievable job while he was here. He's got elite arm talent, always has. More athletic than you think. It's fun watching him develop as the season goes. Obviously had two games under his belt here and then got hurt. You see him getting better week-in, week-out. Relating it back to when he was here, there's certain things you gotta go back from a scrimmage standpoint and all those things, what affected him what didn't affect him."
Both Golding and Missouri are hoping that familiarity plays a role in the outcome when No. 13 Missouri (5-1, 2-1 SEC) takes on No. 10 Ole Miss (4-1, 2-1).
Why did Austin Simmons transfer from Ole Miss?
Simmons began last season with 341 passing yards and three touchdowns to two interceptions in Ole Miss's 63-7 win over Georgia State. Just a week later, the promising first-year starter injured his ankle against Kentucky, allowing backup quarterback Chambliss to take over in Oxford.
Unfortunately for Simmons, Chambliss—a relative unknown after transferring from Division II Ferris State—never relinquished the job. He eventually led Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff semifinals and emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in college football.
Simmons entered the transfer portal on Jan. 2 and signed with the Tigers four days later, on Jan. 6. He remained with Ole Miss throughout its CFP run but chose to move schools, especially with the program expecting Chambliss to gain another season of eligibility for 2026 at the time.
Former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, now at LSU, said in 2025 that Simmons and Chambliss formed "the best quarterback room in the country." "I think Austin (Simmons) is a great quarterback, was playing really well for a first-time starter, and I think he'd be having a great year if he was still in there. I have all the confidence in the world in him," Kiffin said on Nov. 11, 2025. "So I think we have two that are better than a lot of people's No. 1."
That confidence likely explains why Missouri was comfortable handing its offense to a quarterback with only two career starts before 2026.
Why did Austin Simmons choose Missouri?
It's easy to see why Simmons wanted to attend Missouri. The left-handed quarterback possesses a talented arm and would be throwing to returning starter Donovan Olugbode and Cayden Lee, another Ole Miss transfer.
Simmons also fits naturally into Missouri offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey's scheme, which has helped him cut down on turnovers this season. Lindsey has experience with former North Carolina first-round pick Drake Maye, another big-armed quarterback who challenged for NFL MVP in 2025.
Choosing Missouri also meant staying in the SEC, a familiar conference for Simmons. It also gave him the opportunity to face not only Ole Miss, his former team, but potentially LSU and Kiffin, his former coach.
Austin Simmons stats
Here are Simmons's year-by-year totals in college football:
- 2024 (Ole Miss): 19-of-32 passing (59.4%) for 282 yards with two touchdowns; five carries for 14 yards
- 2025 (Ole Miss): 45-of-75 passing (60%) for 744 yards with four touchdowns to five interceptions; 22 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown
- 2026 (Missouri): 107-of-165 passing (64.8%) for 1,434 yards with 14 touchdowns to one interception; 17 carries for 26 yards
Originally reported by usatoday.