Missouri started spring practice on Feb. 27. Less than 25 days later, the Tigers have already named their starting quarterback for the 2026 college football season, as Ole Miss transfer Austin Simmons earned the No. 1 spot over Matt Zollers.
Whether or not Missouri truly had a “quarterback battle” is debatable. Simmons was one of the top quarterback transfers in the portal, and the Tigers had to battle several teams for his services.
But now Simmons has been named the starter, the next step is clear: The Tigers need the junior to take the next step and realize his potential.
Entering ‘25, Simmons was projected as a breakout candidate following the promising performance in limited playing time the previous fall. Included in that stint was a strong showing in limited snaps for the Rebels in a critical showdown against Georgia.
After Jaxson Dart was out for a handful of snaps due to injury, Simmons connected on five of six throws for 64 yards and led Ole Miss on a scoring drive in the 28-10 victory over the Bulldogs.
Counting the Georgia performance, Simmons threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns over 32 attempts to showcase his potential for the ‘25 season.
Simmons' intrigue didn't start with that drive. He reclassified from the ‘25 class to the ‘23 class and arrived in Oxford as a four-star prospect. Additionally, he was a top performer on the baseball diamond and a two-sport star in the high-school ranks.
Simmons appeared primed to build on that playing time in ‘25 with a standout campaign at the helm of the high-powered Ole Miss’ attack. The Florida native had a few ups-and-downs in his first chance as the full-time starter, tossing two picks and passing for 341 yards against Georgia State in the opener. However, after throwing for 235 yards against Kentucky the following week, Simmons suffered a leg injury late in that contest, which prevented him from starting the Rebels’ next game against Arkansas. His absence opened the door for Trinidad Chambliss to seize the job and emerge as a Heisman frontrunner.
The potential and upside is obvious. Limited snaps showcase a live arm with good touch to make all of the necessary throws in coach Eli Drinkwitz’s offense. New coordinator Chip Lindsey spent a season at North Carolina developing Drake Maye and worked last year at Michigan tutoring Bryce Underwood. That experience, along with Drinkwitz's track record of building productive attacks, should help the staff mesh philosophies to build a scheme that helps Simmons thrive.
Missouri brings back one of the nation’s top backfields with likely preseason All-American Ahmad Hardy, along with Jamal Roberts. That duo combined for 2,402 yards and led a rushing attack that ranked first in the SEC last year.
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Drinkwitz also restocked the receiving corps by bringing in Cayden Lee (Ole Miss) and Caleb Goodie (Cincinnati) from the portal. Also, sophomore Donovan Olugbode is poised to take on a greater role in the receiving corps after a standout freshman campaign.
Combine a rushing attack that’s one of the best in college football, to go with ample weapons at receiver and experience returning on the offensive line, and Missouri has all of the makings of a potent attack - provided Simmons takes the flashes of potential seen over the last two years and turns it into a full season of production.
How will all of the pieces fit together remains a question mark. Missouri is 29-9 under Drinkwitz over the last three years but is expected to be a fringe top-25 team when preseason polls are released this offseason.
However, if Simmons reaches his potential, the Tigers can think bigger than just a top-25 ranking. Instead, Drinkwitz’s squad could be one of the next first-time teams to make the playoff.
Even if Zollers wasn't a threat to Simmons and the staff was just pushing their top transfer addition, confidence has to be high at Missouri to name the competition officially over.
The start of the '26 season is still months away. However, the Tigers have to feel good about the development of this offense and the rapid growth by Simmons since stepping onto campus this semester.
