Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons 'Impressed' Teammates During Fall Camp
OXFORD, Miss. -- There is no doubt that the Ole Miss Rebels are deep at quarterback.
While the spotlight has primarily been on incumbent starter Jaxson Dart and former transfers Spencer Sanders and Walker Howard, true freshman Austin Simmons has received glowing reviews from his new teammates during his first fall camp with Ole Miss.
Simmons, a 2023 four-star recruit, flipped his commitment from the Florida Gators to the Rebels in June. The 17-year-old was slated to be a member of the 2025 recruiting cycle, but his stellar 5.34 GPA allowed him to reclassify and enroll this summer at Ole Miss.
Senior receiver Jordan Watkins has emerged as a veteran leader on the Rebels' roster and had nothing but good things to say about Simmons after the first day of practice.
"He's looked really good," Watkins told TheGroveReport.com. "He's impressed me. Super young, but he can throw it. He's got to work on everything that a young quarterback has to work on coming out of high school. With him being so young it's probably harder for him [to adjust], but I think he's just naturally talented."
Ole Miss tight end Michael Trigg has also been "surprised" by Simmons' talent at his age.
"He surprised me," Trigg said. "He's really young so I didn't know what to expect but he can sling it for sure."
Receiver Dayton Wade mentioned that one of Simmons' competitors has also taken notice of his ability.
"Dart came up to me to talk about [Simmons]," Wade said. "He was saying that [Simmons] is going to be that dude. He really knows the game."
Despite being a late addition to Ole Miss' 2023 class, Simmons has left his mark early in camp and is earning the respect of his new teammates.
According to On3, Simmons is rated as the No. 18 quarterback in the 2023 cycle and the No. 52 player in the state of Florida. In the 2025 cycle, he was listed as the No. 4 quarterback and the No. 12 player in the Sunshine State.
You can follow Ben King on Twitter at @BKing_2023.
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