Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss boys left no stones unturned last season. 10-3 overall record is no joke. But sadly, their efforts went in vain as the Natty slipped out of their hands. Walking into the 2025 season, things are going to be tough for Kiffin. That’s because he has lost his “Dark Horse,” quarterback Jaxson Dart, to the pro league. However, a 19-year-old comes off as a glimmer of hope. That’s none other than Austin Simmons, who was a 4-star prospect back in 2023. Even though Kiffin is yet to pass on Dart’s torch to Austin, he has already gathered enough hype in Ole Miss. However, he is going to face some hurdles in the upcoming days when it comes to his career. In this case, his father’s lofty beliefs about his son landed Austin in trouble.

Austin moves ahead of time. Not many know, the young chap shared the same training camp with NFL players when he was just 12. Not just athletics, he came off with flying colors in academics too, securing an impressive 5.34 GPA at age 16, and left his Miami home to enroll at Ole Miss two years earlier than expected. Now, you know how he has raised the ceiling too high. Just as he is a celebrated figure in football, his advanced academic pace as a youngster started because of baseball. A big dilemma prevailed: whether or not he would eclipse 6 feet. That’s why his father, David Simmons, worked on developing his son as a southpaw pitcher.

Having played in the Arena Football League and also coached for multiple franchises, the Ole Miss quarterback could not have had a better coach. Being his father and having coached Austin, the proud father came with a bold claim. “He’s a better baseball player than a football player. A lot of people have no idea. He could be (Shohei) Ohtani. If he didn’t play football, he would be Ohtani.” Now this just made Austin’s Ole Miss journey way more complex. On the May 12 episode of The Next Round podcast, analyst Jim Dunaway and co-host Lance Taylor took this up. “Last year, he had 13 relief appearances for Ole Miss’s baseball team in the SEC, when he should have been a junior in high school, and he was already pitching in.” 

They then shifted to Austin’s father’s quote. “When you say your son is better at baseball but he’s playing football, that he would be Shohei Ohtani, would you not let him play baseball then? Because your career could be longer.” As the analyst came to a conclusion, “No sense at all.” Now, what did Austin say about his decision to move away from baseball and to proceed with football?

It was an emotional decision. “Being a part of this forever since I was six—you know, that’s something you don’t really toss aside pretty easily.” However, now that the quarterback has finalized the path, it just makes things more complex when things are already tight for the young chap in Ole Miss. Thanks to Kiffin. 

Austin Simmons’ flash of brilliance amidst the pressure created by Lane Kiffin

“Which team is the most likely candidate for a serious step back this season in the SEC?” According to Ari Wasserman, it’s going to be Ole Miss. The reason? Brain drain, to be precise. Kiffin has lost a flock of players to the NFL. The count says 11, and it consists of the notable ones like quarterback Jaxson Dart and wide receiver Tre Harris, among a bunch of others. Plus, the transfer portal snagged away 18 players. So, he cannot afford to take any risk. While quarterback Austin Simmons is already there, the Rebels landed yet another QB on May 6. That’s none other than the Oklahoma State transfer QB Maealiuaki Smith.

The 6-foot-4, 185-pounder was a true freshman at OSU in 2024 and comes to Ole Miss with four seasons of eligibility. Back at the Cowboys camp, he came up with 489 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. These numbers might run thin to grab the starters role, bringing respite for Austin. But hold on! He came up with a highlight feat came against Texas Tech, where he threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns against the Red Raiders, while also throwing one pick.

In that way, Lane Kiffin can even give Maealiuaki Smith a chance for the starting role. However, nothing can break Austin Simmons when it comes to his confidence. He said, ”I don’t think it really changed much. Really, I know exactly how good I was before that Georgia game even happened. It was just a matter of time, whether or not I was going to Showcase or not, but hey, that game happened, and it’s been happening. So, here I am. I got a little high going. I just got to go out there next season to perform.”

Even though Austin’s actions were limited, in Ole Miss’ big surprise win against Georgia, he made his appearance as he completed 5 of the 6 passes he threw and earned a 99.6 QB rating by ESPN. Tip your cap to Austin Simmons’ baseball days—but it’s clear he’s all-in on football now.