The Rebel War Memorial Stadium hasn’t seen this much buzz since their last SEC showdown. Their star QB, Austin Simmons, at just 19, already graduated from college, earned Heisman buzz without a single starting snap, and earned comparisons to lefty legends like Tua based on that smooth release. He led a calm, clutch drive against Georgia in mop-up duty last season, and media outlets have him pegged as one of college football’s most intriguing characters heading into 2025.

Then came the scrimmage. The kid stepped onto the field in front of the full team, and instead of a highlight reel debut, he threw two pick-sixes. Pretty much every Rebel fan was gobsmacked. Kiffin, renowned for his strategic mind and flair for the dramatic, might’ve just cooked up the ultimate test. Was it a breakdown or a breakthrough in disguise?

Steven Willis laid it out plain on Locked on Ole Miss. “It started going around after the scrimmage that Austin Simmons threw two pick-sixes. I confirmed it through my sources. Yes, he threw two pick-sixes, one of which was Suntarine Perkins. Um, congratulations to him,” he said. “But this is why you shouldn’t be panicking. … you see, he is getting all of the hype, but to ground him to do what needs to be done,” he added.

Willis also noted, “I think Lane Kiffin is doing a little bit of coach stuff in this. And this is what I mean by that. No other position on the field is more susceptible to the coaches scripting a good day or a bad day than the quarterback. … We don’t know why those things are occurring. … It could be the wide receiver was at 12 yards instead of 11. It could be … false steps coming out of their break.” That’s not just media spin; practice tape often reveals miscues that aren’t the QB’s fault, from slightly off-route timing to protection breakdowns. In this case, Simmons’s “bad day” could have been as much about fine-tuning the offense as about testing his composure.

Simmons isn’t flying blind. In 2024, he appeared in nine games as the backup, completing 19 of 32 passes (59.4 %) for 282 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He added five rushes for 14 yards. He also executed a clutch mop-up drive against Georgia, going 5-for-6 for 64 yards and the tying score. Those numbers show efficiency and facts that matter when evaluating a player in the pressure cooker. And now, heading into 2025, Simmons already has more preseason Heisman buzz than most QBs with multiple years of starting experience.

Austin Simmons surging in national QB rankings

Austin Simmons has quietly been taking some of the thunder away from Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola. The Athletic’s 2025 FBS quarterback rankings placed Simmons in Tier 4, No. 37 overall, one spot ahead of Raiola in Tier 6 at No. 40. In the higher tiers of college football, a three-spot advantage is indicative, illustrating how analysts perceive Simmons’s preparedness for the SEC grind.

That jump is the sign of a steep climb. While Raiola is continuing to adapt after a good freshman season, Simmons worked last year behind Jaxson Dart in a low-key manner, making the most of limited work and posting a spotless stat line with no interceptions. When the moment arrived, such as in that Georgia drive, he performed. That’s the type of game that will linger in the minds of coaches and voters.

Even Dart has publicly predicted Simmons will “kill it” this year. With a fired-up Ole Miss roster and a QB who’s already been tested mentally and physically before Week 1, the Rebels might be more dangerous than people think. For Simmons, the scrimmage wasn’t a warning sign; it was a dress rehearsal for the kind of chaos the SEC throws at quarterbacks every Saturday.