Austin Simmons doesn’t get full shot to run Ole Miss offense with Jaxson Dart send-off

Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart took the Gator Bowl pretty much the whole way for the Rebels vs. Duke. Head coach Lane Kiffin finally handed the keys to the car over for the final 1:06 to Austin Simmons, who is expected to start next season at quarterback.

Simmons handed off twice then threw a 34-yard pass to Jordan Smart to cap the game on the final play. It was a 52-20 win that Dart largely engineered for Ole Miss.

The Gator Bowl was the final Ole Miss bow for Dart, the record-setting, third-year quarterback, but Dart opted to finish his career out with a full game instead of letting Simmons get action, per ESPN. Dart finished 27-of-35 for 404 yards and four touchdowns along with 12 carries for 43 yards.

While the Rebels would love to add competition to the quarterback room through the transfer portal, it’s been a tough sell with Simmons expected to start.

After not playing in any games in 2023 while redshirting, he saw action in eight games this season. He completed 18-of-31 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns.

Simmons was a four-star recruit coming out of high school. He showed this season in spot duty in a win over Georgia he’s seemingly ready for his turn in the spotlight. Against Georgia, Simmons relieved the injured Dart and impressively engineered a game-tying touchdown march. He completed five of his six passes for 64 yards in what was, ultimately, his one and only appearance of the game.

“I’m just so proud of him,” Dart said after Ole Miss’ win over Georgia. “He’s a hell of a player, so him just being able to come in and manufacture a drive like that, which resulted in a touchdown, was huge. It really provided a spark for our team.”

“Austin Simmons did a great job coming in,” Kiffin added. “We told him, ‘We’re going to run the game plan and throw with you. Not going to be one of the back-up quarterbacks who just hands off.’ He did a great job.”

Coming out of Moore Haven Junior/Senior High in Florida in 2023, Austin Simmons ranked as the No. 266 overall prospect in the nation and the 19th-ranked quarterback nationally, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Ole Miss did lose Walker Howard to the transfer portal and didn’t sign a 2025 quarterback. That leaves the room a little thin for next season. AJ Maddox is also in the quarterback room.

When the Ole Miss Spirit asked Kiffin how he was feeling without having a quarterback in this class, currently, there was not much concern coming from his answer.

“We’re kind of new age in analytics and salary cap and roster management and I think a lot of people just still kind of do the same thing, ‘We got to sign this many people at this position and pay them whatever it takes,’” Kiffin said. “I’ve said now for two years you got to be really careful with that with high school quarterbacks, in my opinion. Sometimes we’re in on a guy and the price gets too high and that’s the world we live in now.”

Now though, it’s time for Simmons in Kiffin’s offense next season. There’s no debate there.

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