Ole Miss QB2 Austin Simmons ‘Pretty Positive’ He’ll Play Baseball this Spring; Also Says it ‘Felt Like a Dream’ to Throw First Collegiate TD Pass
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss is a school that prides itself on having successful two-sport athletes, including names like Jake Gibbs, Don Kessinger, Archie Manning, John Rhys Plumlee, Quintavius Burdette, and Jerrion Ealy, to name a few. Like so many talented Rebels before him, Austin Simmons is a football and baseball player who will likely get drafted for both sports once his time in college has concluded.
Despite suffering a UCL sprain at the end of last baseball season, Simmons informed the media that, as of right now, he feels confident that he’ll return to the mound for his sophomore season.
“I‘m pretty positive that I’ll be back to playing at Swayze next spring. I’ll be back into the reliever rotation, just have to take another MRI to see where I’m going from there.“
– Simmons on playing baseball this spring
Though Simmons is planning a return to the diamond, there’s no question that he’ll be asked to take on a much larger role with the football team after the departure of starting quarterback Jaxson Dart at the end of the season. According to Austin, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. already named him the second quarterback on the roster over several other candidates.
“I learned that about the third week of fall camp. I had a little meeting with Coach Weis… He broke down everything and told me I was going to be the second guy. Then it just strolled on through there until game week.”
– Simmons on being named QB2
Even arriving on campus as a 17-year-old in a room filled with Dart, Spencer Sanders, and Walker Howard, Simmons says he’s kept the same approach to his game of doing whatever it takes to propel him into the starting role for the 2025 season.
First pass in the Rebel uniform goes for a TD ‼️ @austnsimmons | @Cayden_X_Lee pic.twitter.com/4x1DuWZR2Y
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 1, 2024
“That’s always been my mindset, ever since last year. I’ve always loved competing. You know, I came here to compete and am really just taking every day with the mindset that I’m going out here to dominate, really learn, and also progress into becoming the future starter.“
– Simmons on his goals for next year
In terms of what he’s been able to learn, Simmons talked about developing a strong grasp of Lane Kiffin’s offensive system, crediting Jaxson Dart for teaching and bettering the underclassmen every single day.
“I’ve learned a lot from him. He’s definitely one of those mentor guys. He talks to me pretty well, and he’s a great guy to be around. Just learning from him visually, seeing how he plays, seeing how his poise in the pocket, seeing how calm he is throughout the game, especially in high-pressure situations.“
– Simmons on playing under Dart
Recapping week one against Furman, Simmons earned the opportunity to take over for Dart in the second half, allowing him to throw his first collegiate touchdown via a 35-yard bomb down the field to wide receiver Cayden Lee.
First Day Out.
1-0 pic.twitter.com/wdgPtIhmv6— Austin Simmons (@austnsimmons) September 2, 2024
Playing in a regulated game for the first time in over a year, Austin says throwing his touchdown pass brought him an overwhelming feeling of positivity.
“It felt so surreal. It felt like a dream, honestly, it felt like I was reliving my first high school touchdown pass. Whole lot of emotions, it just felt great.”
– Simmons on his first college touchdown pass
This Saturday against Middle Tennessee State, stay on the lookout for Simmons, as he will likely see the field for the second week in a row. Until then, continue to tune into The Rebel Walk for all of your Ole Miss sports coverage and more!
