Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons is all-in for 2025 football season
OXFORD, Miss. — There had been much discussion among Ole Miss fans surrounding the question of whether or not sophomore quarterback Austin Simmons would play baseball this season or instead focus his efforts on Lane Kiffin’s football team. As the Diamond Rebels are set to start next month, our sources confirm reports that the left-handed pitcher will, indeed, no longer be a part of the Ole Miss baseball team.
Ole Miss baseball released a statement Saturday saying, “…Austin Simmons is no longer on the baseball roster so that he can concentrate on playing football.”
Simmons, who has stayed patient and worked his way to the top of Lane Kiffin’s QB room, is poised to take over from Jaxson Dart, the school’s all-time passing leader.
After the Gator Bowl, head coach Lane Kiffin talked about what it means for Austin to have learned under Dart.
“Then, I look at the family in the quarterback room, and…he’s had this, like, big brother, showing him everything to do and how to do every single thing right…But that’s so valuable. It’s one thing to learn about how a guy works, but how he prepares, how he works, how he treats people, how he wins his team over. So, Austin — that’s a really awesome thing that Austin got to experience.”
— Lane Kiffin discussing what having Jaxson Dart has meant to Simmons
Simmons suffered a UCL sprain last spring while pitching for head coach Mike Bianco’s Rebels, and through Simmons’ process of recovery from the injury, he continued to put a lot of his focus towards football.
The talented 6-foot-4 Simmons, originally from Miami, Florida, reclassified from the class of 2025 all the way up to the class of 2023. The highly-touted recruit received offers from A&M, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Florida State, Penn State, Miami, Arkansas, Pitt, Tennessee, Colorado, and Auburn, among others, but chose Lane Kiffin and Mike Bianco coming out of high school.
In 2024 for the Rebels, Simmons elevated his name as a pitcher. Posting a 2-0 record with a 3.21 ERA in 13 appearances, he showed Ole Miss fans and coaches a potential star in the making on the mound. Holding opponents to a .173 batting average and striking out over 20 batters in 14.0 innings, he would finish his baseball career at Ole Miss allowing zero earned runs over his final three appearances.
Battling with former Ole Miss quarterback Walker Howard for the second-string role going in to the 2024 season, Simmons ultimately prevailed. Completing 19-of-32 passes for two touchdowns and zero interceptions this season, Simmons has Ole Miss fans understandably ecstatic for what the next few years will look like with him at the helm.
“Being QB2 has allowed me to be more comfortable and allowed me to adapt to the new speed and new playstyle, especially in this era,” Simmons said.
EXCLUSIVE: Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons sits down with our Daylan Flowers! 🏈@austnsimmons talks to @TheDaylanShow about facing Georgia, practicing vs. the Rebel defense, the love the team has for each other, the importance of his dad, and more! ⤵️
📺: https://t.co/JVw2sA0lOz pic.twitter.com/SKWaPlFPAp
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) November 18, 2024
Simmons’ time in the Rebels’ system has allowed him to learn what Coach Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Wise Jr. expect of him as a player and person.
“It’s definitely been amazing being here under these two offensive minds. Being here for two years, just developing, seeing everything visually, learning everything from Dart and Spencer, and coach (Joe) Judge, and having him in my toolbox and learning a lot of the defensive keys, I feel like there hasn’t been a time where I haven’t been ready to go in at any moment.”
Austin Simmons
Simmons excited Ole Miss fans for the future after he showed just how ready he was to go in the game — a very big game as the Rebels hosted Georgia at Vaught-Hemingway. Following an injury to Dart, Simmons was thrown into a pressure-packed drive against the Bulldogs — and he responded. Ole Miss was down 7-0 at the time and Simmons would lead the Rebels on a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that tied the game and truly sparked the team that day in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons came into the biggest game of the season.
Faced a 4th-1 situation and looked as cool as possible.
What a throw. pic.twitter.com/Q1RZePlCUo
— Brad Logan (@BradLoganCOTE) November 11, 2024
On that critical drive, Simmons was surgical with his throwing precision, completing five-of-six passes for 64 yards, including a key fourth-down completion. His presence on the field led to the tying score and righted the ship for his team and the Rebel faithful en route to a 28-10 win over Kirby Smart’s No. 3-ranked team.
Ole Miss will kick off the 2025 football season against Georgia State on August 30, 2025 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Daylan Flowers
Daylan is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas and currently a junior Journalism major at Ole Miss with an emphasis in sports media and a minor in history. In addition to his work for The Rebel Walk, Daylan is the creator of 'The Daylan Show,' a podcast that shares stories from people all over the sports and media world. He is an avid Arsenal, Cowboys, and St.Louis Cardinals fan. Daylan has a strong passion for photography, including many sporting events and photoshoots.
