Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss teammates confident in Rebels' QB of the future following huge drive against Georgia
Ole Miss may have ended up defeating Georgia 28-10 in an absolute massacre of Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs, but the game certainly did not start out looking like it was going to go that way. Jaxson Dart took a sack early, and then was immediately injured on the following play where he threw an […]
Ole Miss may have ended up defeating Georgia 28-10 in an absolute massacre of Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs, but the game certainly did not start out looking like it was going to go that way. Jaxson Dart took a sack early, and then was immediately injured on the following play where he threw an interception to Dan Jackson. Ole Miss looked like they needed a miracle, and fast.
They got one right away. True freshman phenom Austin Simmons stepped onto the field at quarterback and led Ole Miss on a 10-play scoring drive. Jaxson Dart would of course return to action shortly thereafter, and the rest is Ole Miss program-defining history.
After the game, both Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss teammates could not stop talking about how proud they were of Austin Simmons. It seems that they were all extremely confident in him even before he had to go into the game, but now they're even happier about the hands the Ole Miss program is in (for next year and beyond).
Lane Kiffin sounded ecstatic, but not surprised:
"Austin Simmons did a great job coming in. And like we told him, 'Hey we're going to run the game plan. We're going to throw with you. Not going to be one of these backup quarterbacks where you just hand it off.' And he did a great job. And I didn't know Jaxson was going to come back in."
Lane Kiffin wasn't kidding. Austin Simmons' first snap was a completed pass to Antwane "Juice" Wells Jr. for 11 yards. He came out firing. Simmons finished the drive completing five of his six passes for 64 yards as running back Ulysses Bentley IV went on to tie the game with a nine-yard rushing touchdown.
It's rare for a head coach to show such confidence in a young quarterback, especially one that should still technically be in high school. For those who might still be unaware, Austin Simmons reclassified two full recruiting classes ahead of schedule so that he could get on campus with Ole Miss. If he had followed the normal high school pace, he would be graduating next spring, but Simmons finished school way early with a GPA above 4.0 joining the program in 2023.
When you realize that Simmons is a multi-sport athlete genius who was physically developed enough to head to college two years early it's no wonder Lane Kiffin had such confidence in him:
"It kind of shows our confidence in him…come out, let him throw on the first play against Georgia. [Austin Simmons] has done a great job in practice and showed up today."
It wasn't just Lane Kiffin heaping praise on the young quarterback who stepped in at a critical moment to lead a scoring drive against the preeminent dynasty of this era. Linebacker Chris Paul Jr. was also very proud of Simmons too:
"I told him after the game, I was very proud of [Austin Simmons]. We see the way that he works each and every day throughout the week, man it's awesome. He's on top of film study with Dart. You can see him out there throwing passes together to receivers, just building that chemistry with the offense in total. So, it was awesome for him to get an opportunity to go out there and showcase what he's been working on. I'm so proud of him."
It sounds like every single teammate knew Simmons had that kind of performance in him even before he stepped onto the field. And this isn't the first time Simmons has showed glimpses of greatness. Just last week he went 3 for 3 passing with 47 yards and a passing touchdown after the game was firmly in hand against Arkansas.
The future looks bright at quarterback for Ole Miss. Jaxson Dart is still slinging it at an elite level. Perhaps now on pace to win the Heisman and be selected inside the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. It's hard to believe, but Simmons looks like he might be just as good or even better when the time comes for him to take the reins.
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