Landing Austin Simmons at the quarterback spot might be the most excitement to be generated at the position in quite a while for the Missouri Tigers.
The former Ole Miss Rebel was a high school phenom and a former four-star recruit in 2023 before heading to Oxford to spend two seasons in the Southeastern Conference. He broke through as a starter in 2025 without knowing Trinidad Chamblis was lurking behind him, being overtaken after getting injured early in the season.
Simmons now has a chance to start in 2026 for the Tigers. The weight that comes with being the starting quarterback for a potentially explosive Missouri offense is the reason he slots in at the third spot of our 30 most important players for the 2026-27 season.
Last year in six appearances, Simmons logged 744 passing yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions on 60 percent completion. In the two games he started for the Rebels, he finished with 576 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions. Those opponents were Georgia State and Kentucky.
He showed plenty of quality and flashes in those games, along with his other four outings in a backup role to Chambliss. That being said, he’s yet to serve as a full-time starter at the college level. That absolutely raises some concerns as he transitions to being the starter for Missouri.
Simmons being immediately successful isn’t a given thing. He’s going to have to tighten up his deep ball accuracy and decision-making, while also getting acclimated to his new receivers and offensive line. He’s had plenty of time to do so and there’s no saying right now whether he’ll be ready for Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sept. 3, though the expectations will be high.
Expectations are another thing. Missouri’s passing game has trended down over the last two seasons due to a lack of consistency and injuries. Simmons appears to have what it takes to bring stability to that group, but the pressure on him to perform at a high level and potentially lead Missouri to new heights will be something he’s yet to experience.
Behind Simmons is UConn transfer Nick Evers, sophomore Matt Zollers and true freshman Gavin Sidwar. More than likely, Evers will be the sole backup while Zollers uses the redshirt he was meant to take last season. Evers is experienced and has stops at multiple teams and conferences, but nothing like the SEC.
Missouri can’t not have Simmons as its starting quarterback. That’s not a secret whatsoever.
There’s a certain buzz around what Missouri’s lefty could do, especially while surrounded by Donovan Olugbode, Cayden Lee and Brett Norfleet. He’ll have no shortage of weapons, along with his potential duo of running backs in Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts.
It’ll come down to Simmons himself to deliver to those players, make smart decisions and ultimately bring the Tigers to a place they’ve yet to go under head coach Eli Drinkwitz.
Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
