Missouri football officially signs transfer portal QB from Ole Miss
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Missouri football didn’t waste any time zeroing in on its transfer portal QB.
The Tigers had to wait for his season to end, but from Day 1 of the official portal opening date, it was clear: Austin Simmons was coming to Missouri.
As of Tuesday morning, that is now official.
Missouri football signedOle Miss transfer quarterback Austin Simmons on Tuesday, according to a report from Matt Zenitz at 247Sports. Simmons reportedly entered the portal with a no-contact tag, which usually means the player had their mind made up regarding their next destination.
Now, he’s making the move from Oxford, Mississippi, to Columbia, Missouri, for a second shot at becoming an SEC starter.
Simmons was widely expected to be the Rebels’ starting quarterback in the 2025 season, and that was his role with the team for the first two weeks of the season. But, one of the stories of the college football season emerged in his backup.
Simmons picked up an ankle injury in Ole Miss’ win over Kentucky that saw him limited in September, and Trinidid Chambliss, who joined Mississippi from Division-II Ferris State, took over the starting gig under then-head coach Lane Kiffin in Week 3.
Chambliss held on to the job and now has helped lead Ole Miss to the CFP semifinals. He has requested an eligibility waiver to play in 2026, which could have impacted Simmons’ path to starting reps next season.
It marks the second straight season that Mizzou has landed a backup QB from a team still playing in the College Football Playoff. Beau Pribula, who will transfer out of Mizzou this offseason, joined the Tigers from Penn State last year.
The current expectation is that Simmons will remain with Ole Miss through the end of its season. The Rebels face Miami on Jan. 8 in the CFP semifinals.
Simmons was a four-star prospect in the Class of 2023, originally committing to Florida before flipping to Ole Miss.
He is from Miami, Florida, and spent two years as the backup to Jaxson Dart in Oxford. He is listed at 6 foot 4, 215 pounds by the Rebels.
In 2025, Simmons completed 60% of his 75 pass attempts for 744 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. He rushed 21 times for 82 yards, one touchdown. He also had three fumbles.
Simmons, who is left-handed, has two remaining years of eligibility.
Immediately, he is likely to enter into a quarterback competition with promising Missouri freshman Matt Zollers, who started three games for the Tigers in 2025 while Pribula was either injured or in the portal.
Zollers is likely to be the hunter in the preseason, though, as Simmons’ transfer choice almost certainly comes with the expectation that he will start for Mizzou in 2026.
It would not be a surprise to see the Tigers add more quarterback depth this offseason.
Sam Horn, a quarterback and right-handed pitcher, is widely expected to join the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in 2026, but no official decision has been announced. The only other scholarship QB on the Missouri roster currently is Class of 2026 true freshman Gavin Sidwar.
One of the major questions entering the transfer portal window was whether Mizzou would sign a big-name QB with immediate starting chops.
Simmons, a high-profile and highly regarded QB, answers that question.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football officially signs transfer portal QB from Ole Miss
