Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons to enter transfer portal, ‘favored’ to land with SEC team
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Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons has decided to enter the transfer portal.
That news was first shared by ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Friday afternoon. Thamel also reports that Simmons will remain with Ole Miss through its run in the College Football Playoff.
Perhaps most importantly for 2026, Thamel adds that Mizzou is the “favorite” to land Simmons out of the portal. He also says Simmons has a “no contact” tag, which means other programs are not permitted to make contact with him as he goes through the portal process.
Simmons began the year as Ole Miss’s starter, but lost his starting job due to an injury early in the year. After he recovered, Trinidad Chambliss retained the starting job through his excellent play. Chambliss has continued to play well all season and has arguably been the best quarterback in this year’s College Football Playoff so far.
Although Chambliss may be out of college eligibility after this season, Simmons has evidently decided to move on. Mizzou would make sense as a fit — the Tigers are looking for a new starting quarterback as their starter in 2025, Beau Pribula, has reportedly decided to enter the portal as well.
If Simmons does land with Mizzou, he’d be back in Oxford next fall. The Rebels are set to host Missouri on Oct. 17, 2026.
Simmons has thrown for 1,026 yards, 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in his college career so far.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
