Ole Miss QB reportedly entering transfer portal, with Mizzou a likely destination
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Mizzou leads race to recruit Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons from transfer portal
- Simmons entered portal with no-contact tag and cannot sign until season ends
- Mizzou faces QB depth gap after Pribula exit; Zollers, Horn, Sidwar remain
The Missouri Tigers appear poised to have an inside track toward landing one of the top quarterbacks available in college football’s transfer market.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Friday afternoon that Ole Miss sophomore Austin Simmons will enter the NCAA transfer portal — and that Mizzou is the favorite to land one of the top QBs available during college football’s two-week period of player movement.
The portal opened Friday — Jan. 2 — as expected, with a flurry of activity, as expected. Missouri is losing some players and will no doubt be adding some between now and the portal’s closure on Jan. 16.
It’s all happening pretty fast, but for a player whose current team is still competing — Mississippi won a Thursday College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Georgia to advance to a semifinal showdown with Miami — there’s a catch:
Simmons can’t officially sign with a new program until the conclusion of the Rebels’ season in the CFP. Thamel reported that Simmons is entering the portal with a no-contact tag, meaning he is requesting that teams do not reach out to him.
In the meantime, the notion that a fellow SEC program like Missouri could land a former five-star recruit from Florida, well, that had social media buzzing Friday night.
Simmons was Ole Miss’ starter at the beginning of the 2025 season but hurt an ankle in the Rebels’ third game. Backup Trinidad Chambliss took over and guided the Rebels to where they sit today, two wins from a national championship.
With Chambliss now entrenched, Simmons apparently decided to look around for a new school to call home next season. And for Mizzou, the timing couldn’t be better.
With Beau Pribula’s decsion to transfer out, MU’s QB ranks for the 2026 season at present include:
- Matt Zollers, who saw snaps in relief of Pribula and Sam Horn this season
- Baseball/football prospect Horn, who was injured early in the 2025 season and spent the remainder of the season rehabbing (and could choose to play Major League Baseball for the team that drafted him as a pitcher in 2025, the L.A. Dodgers)
- Gavin Sidwar, an incoming freshman
As a redshirt freshman in 2024, Simmons appeared in nine games for Ole Miss, going 19-of-32 (59.4%) for 282 yards and two touchdowns. He was a member of former Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin’s 2022-23 signing class but took a redshirt in 2023.
In Mississippi’s opener this season against Georgia State, Simmons went 20 of 31 for 341 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. The next week he was 13 of 24 with no TDs and two more picks against Kentucky.
Simmons completed his only pass attempt in week three against Arkansas before injuring his ankle. And since then, he’s played only sparingly.
This story was originally published January 2, 2026 at 8:15 PM.