Mizzou gets commitment from QB Austin Simmons

Mizzou came into portal season needing at least one quarterback addition.

And the Tigers have their man.

Mizzou earned a commitment from Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons on Tuesday. With Simmons, the Tiger quarterback room now has three expected scholarship QBs. Simmons, rising sophomore Matt Zollers and incoming three-star freshman Gavin Sidwar fill out the room.

Simmons was a four-star prospect coming out of Moore Haven Junior/Senior High School in Pahokee, Florida in the class of 2023. He was the No. 19 quarterback in the class according to the Rivals Industry Ranking after reclassifying from the 2025 class to the 2023 class.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound lefty did not appear in a game as a true freshman. But he played in nine games as a backup in 2024.

He went 19-of-32 passing for 282 yards and two touchdowns playing behind Jaxson Dart.

With Dart’s exit for the NFL, Simmons became the expected starter for the Rebels coming into 2025. Taking the keys to a team with big expectations.

He went 20-of-31 (64.5 percent) for 341 yards and three touchdowns against Georgia State in the season opener. He did also throw two interceptions in that matchup.

Then he went 13-of-24 (54.2 percent) for 235 yards and two interceptions, while rushing eight times for 44 yards and a touchdown in Week 2 against Kentucky. He suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of the win and had to miss multiple games.

In came Trinidad Chambliss and Simmons was relegated back to a backup role. He ended up playing in eight total games this season. Simmons completed 45-of-75 (60 percent) of his passes for 744 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. He rushed 22 times for 71 yards and one touchdown.

Looking forward

Simmons will go into the 2026 season as a redshirt junior, likely competing with Zollers for the starting job.

Simmons’ addition doesn’t necessarily mean Mizzou is done at the position. The Tigers could look to add another quarterback option to grow the room to four scholarship players and avoid a similar situation to this season when Zollers unexpectedly became the backup and then eventually the starter for three games.

Mizzou scheduled an early visit with Kennesaw State quarterback Amari Odom as well and were mentioned in the sweepstakes for DJ Lagway, though that never seemed like a likely option for Mizzou to take. The Tigers also had known communication with Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels, but were up front that Simmons was their priority. Daniels committed to Florida State earlier Tuesday.

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