Heading into the 2026 college football season, many expected the 2027 NFL Draft quarterback class to be a tremendous group.

Things have not gone according to plan early on. Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore have dealt with big regressions, along with an injury in Moore’s case, and there are questions surrounding several other top signal callers in the class.

At this point, it’s anyone’s best guess who the top quarterback will be when April comes around. Some believe it could be Missouri star Austin Simmons, who is in the middle of a breakout campaign after transferring from Ole Miss this past offseason.

Simmons has been outstanding through seven games. He has completed 132 of 209 passes (63.2%) for 1,773 yards and 14 touchdowns while throwing just two interceptions. Along with Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker and Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, and you can throw in Notre Dame’s CJ Carr if you’d like, Simmons felt like one of the most likely candidates to eventually emerge as the top quarterback in the class.

Not so fast on the Simmons front.

Austin Simmons is leaning toward a return to Missouri

In conversations I’ve had recently with multiple sources around the NFL, it appears there are intentions on Simmons’ side to return to college for one more year rather than enter the 2027 NFL Draft. That has been the sentiment coming out of Missouri while area scouts have made their rounds through the building over the last couple of weeks.

Per a source, Simmons and his family are working toward a return to Missouri. In fact, they have already started negotiations on what a potential return would look like next season. His parents, who always play a key role in these conversations, want him to return for another year.

From both the NFL and Missouri sides, there has been deep education about the track record of one-year starting quarterbacks and how they translate to the NFL. On top of that, Missouri can make Simmons a lucrative offer. That might make it very attractive to bypass the 2027 class and instead join the 2028 NFL Draft class.

As of today, there are people convinced Simmons will be back in college for 2027.

Not everyone is buying it

I did have a conversation with one source who said they aren’t buying it currently. The one-year starter track record is a real concern, but Simmons’ processing speed and mental makeup suggest he’s ready to make that type of leap.

The kid himself may not be ready as a person. However, scouts believe he has shown enough on film from a mental standpoint to be worthy of making the early jump. Multiple scouts have also told me they love his anticipation. For a one-year starter, he sees the field very clearly and understands how to get to the backside of his reads.

For those who haven’t followed the Simmons story, he was once a big-time baseball player as well, playing both sports while at Ole Miss. Going into the 2025 season, he was the starting quarterback for Lane Kiffin.

Unfortunately, an injury and some up-and-down early play opened the door for Trinidad Chambliss, who had transferred in from Ferris State, to get a couple of starts. Eventually, Chambliss was too good to take out.

That led Simmons to Missouri and head coach Eli Drinkwitz this offseason, and the rest looks like history.

What comes next for Simmons

Things can undoubtedly change over the next several weeks, and a decision isn’t going to be firm until after the season is over. For now, many are extremely confident Simmons will return for another season.

Missouri already negotiating with him and putting money in place speaks volumes about the comfort level on both sides. There is certainly confidence that this one ends with Simmons back in Columbia.

Perhaps things change, but as of today, Austin Simmons has no intention of being part of the 2027 NFL Draft class. The 6-4, 220-pound signal caller would instead get another year under his belt and enter the conversation as potentially the top quarterback in the 2028 class.