Eli Manning says Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons has impressed at Manning Passing Academy
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Austin Simmons has big shoes to fill in 2025. The new starting quarterback for Ole Miss is having to follow in the footsteps of one of the program’s all-time greats. But Simmons has been working all offseason to improve his command and his game, and it seems like that work is coming to a head in Louisiana.
Simmons is participating in the annual Manning Passing Academy this week alongside some of college football’s brightest stars at the quarterback position. And Eli Manning, a proud Ole Miss alum, has been impressed with what he has seen.
“He’s here, he wants to learn,” Manning told the Clarion Ledger. “Absorb anything he can from Peyton (Manning) and I and some other quarterbacks. I’ve been impressed so far with what he’s doing.”
The 6-foot-4 Simmons signed with the Rebels as a 4-star recruit out of Moore Haven (Fla.) High in the Class of 2023. He didn’t appear in a single game as a true freshman and then served as the primary backup to Jaxson Dart last year.
In 9 appearances, Simmons completed 19 of his 32 pass attempts for 282 yards and 2 scores. The bulk of his action was in garbage time, but Simmons did have one drive in the first quarter against Georgia on Nov. 9 that has been a source of great optimism all offseason. When Dart was briefly knocked out of the game with an injury, Simmons came in cold off the bench, completed 5 of his 6 passes for 64 yards, and drove the Rebels to a touchdown.
Dart returned, but Simmons’ command of the warp-speed Ole Miss offense was noticeable.
“I’ve been keeping up with his time at Ole Miss these past couple years,” Manning told the Clarion Ledger. “Reading about him in the spring. He looked great yesterday. Seems like a great kid. A lot of energy. Always smiling.”
Simmons and the Rebels begin the new year at home on Aug. 30 against Georgia State. A week later, they travel to Lexington, where an opportunity to avenge last season’s upset loss to Kentucky awaits.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
