Evaluating Mizzou's Quarterback Room After Portal Acquisitions

Missouri had several important moves to make this offseason, needing to replace its two longest-tenured coordinators, nine starters on defense, five on offense and even more depth pieces on both sides of the ball.

But no move was more important for the Tigers than finding a new starting quarterback. It was arguably the biggest shortcoming for the program in the 2025 offseason. Pretty undeniably, the move Missouri made here would have the most significant impact on its ceiling for 2026 out of anything it did in the offseason. Missouri finished last in the SEC in passing yards per game in 2025 and 11th in 2024.

Plus, Missouri needed to add some more depth to the room. Injuries to its top two options at quarterback in 2025 was a huge contributing factor to the Tigers' 8-5 finish on the season.

It didn't take long for Missouri to fill both of those holes.

On the first official day of the transfer portal being open, Missouri was instantly listed as the favorite to land former Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons as soon as he entered the portal. Less than 24 hours after Ole Miss' run in the College Football Playoff ended, he had officially signed with the Tigers.

Less than a week later, Missouri signed Nick Evers, a former starter at UConn, adding an experienced backup option.

Dec 20, 2025; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Austin Simmons (13) waits for the snap during the second quarter against the Tulane Green Wave at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Simmons has the potential to elevate Missouri's offense to the level it has struggled to reach over the last two seasons. The lack of an elite passing offense has been one of the biggest contributing factors to the Tigers falling short in each of the first two seasons of the expanded field for the Playoff.

But "potential" is the key word with Simmons. Though there's an abundance of it, there's not much that's guaranteed.

Simmons entered the 2025 season as Ole Miss' starting quarterback before he suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 of the season, opening the door for Trinidad Chambliss to lead the Rebels to the Playoff Semifinals.

Simmons has attempted 107 passes in his collegiate career, appearing intermittently as a backup to Jaxson Dart in 2024 and eventually to Chambliss in 2025. He was rated by 247Sports as the No. 12 quarterback available in the portal this offseason. Out of the 11 quarterbacks rated ahead of him, all besides two have at least one season of starting experience under their belt.

On those 107 attempts, Simmons completed 64 passes for 1,026 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions.

He was rated as a composite four-star prospect out of high school, first committing to his home state of Florida before flipping to Ole Miss.

One of Simmons' best trait is his arm strength, showing the potential to unlock a deep passing game, an aspect that has been noticeably lacking from Missouri's offense over the last two seasons.

He's also a quick passer. It's evident the 6-foot-4, 215-pound 20-year-old was also an elite pitcher.

Simmons will stilll likely have an adjustment curve expected for any first full-time starter. Against Kentucky in Week 2, Simmons' only SEC start, he completed 13 of his 24 pass attempts for 235 yards. But he also had two interceptions.

On the first interception, Simmons completely missed seeing a defensive back in perfect position to snag the out route.

On the next interception, he panicked with pressure in his face and overthrew wide receiver Cayden Lee in the middle of the field.

To help turn that potential into a complete package, Simmons will be guided by two new staff members with long histories of developing quarterbacks.

The offense will be led by coordinator Chip Lindsey, hired to replace Kirby Moore, who accepted the head coaching job after a three-year stint with Missouri.

Lindsey has been instrumental in the development of several elite quarterbacks in the past, coaching Drake Maye at UNC and Nick Mullens at Southern Mississippi. With both of those quarterbacks, Lindsey entered a similar situation to the one he'll enter with Simmons, joining the staffs at Southern Miss and UNC midway through Mullens and Maye's careers and being tasked with helping the signal-callers take another step in development.

He joined Maye in the last year of the quarterback's collegiate career, helping him become the third-overall selection in the 2023 NFL draft. He was with Mullens for his second and third years as a starter, coaching him to be named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year in 2015.

Also joining the staff as a quarterbacks coach is Garrett Riley, who spent the last three seasons as Clemson's offensive coordinator. In 2022, Riley worked as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at TCU, helping lead quarterback Max Duggan to being the runner-up to the Heisman Trophy.

Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley near quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) during the football practice at the Allen N. Reeves Football Complex at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C. Monday, March 3, 2025. | Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The other portal addition, Evers, adds valuable depth that the Tigers could've used last season. He's the most experienced player in the room, having completed 107 passes on 196 attempts for 1,023 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions. He provides a rushing threat too, gaining 245 yards on 80 carries and three touchdowns as UConn's starter in 2024.

In addition to providing insurance, Evers also gives Missouri more flexibility with Matt Zollers, who had to appear in seven games in his true freshman season.

Drinkwitz has stated several times that the former four-star prospect is the "future" at the quarterback position for the program. Having Evers in the room makes the option of redshirting Zollers in 2026 much more doable.

Only time will tell if Missouri made the right moves this offseason in order to make the improvements it needed to in its quarterback room. But, on paper, the acquisition of Simmons has the opportunity to be one of the most important moves the program will make to take a step up from a team that finished near the middle of the SEC in the last two seasons to a legitimate Playoff contender.

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