What Does Austin Simmons' New Decision Mean For Ole Miss Football, Baseball in 2025?

Austin Simmons is pressing pause on his baseball career in order to focus on being the starting quarterback for the Ole Miss Rebels.

Aug 31, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Austin Simmons (13) passes the ball during the second half against the Furman Paladins at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

You have to weigh the cost and benefit of any decision, and Austin Simmons' recent move is no different.

It was revealed by an Ole Miss spokesperson on Saturday that Simmons was stepping away from the baseball program in order to focus fully on his role as the Rebels' presumed starting quarterback. Simmons stepped onto campus as a dual-sport athlete, so this decision was surely not taken lightly.

Still, it appears that it was probably the right one. Simmons carved out a relief pitching role for himself on last year's Ole Miss roster as a freshman before an elbow injury sidelined him for the rest of the year, but his biggest impact on campus was always going to be as the Rebels' starting quarterback.

Simmons may love baseball, but in order for the football program to continue moving forward after the departure of Jaxson Dart, this was going to be the decision that made the most sense.

Football makes the world go round in the Southeastern Conference, so Simmons' decision is a huge positive for coach Lane Kiffin's team. Kiffin now gets his quarterback in the Manning Center year round, and as transfer portal recruiting efforts continue throughout the offseason, the presence of an established signal caller can make a big difference in landing top-tier talent.

It also gives Simmons a full offseason to embrace the knowledge that he is the guy moving forward for the Ole Miss offense. He's entered the last two years knowing that he was going to play the backup role for Dart, but the offense is now Simmons' for the taking, and his preparation throughout the offseason will need to reflect that.

From a baseball perspective, this is a blow for coach Mike Bianco, but it's not one that can't be overcome. The Rebels have a lot of new faces on their 2025 roster, but Simmons' presence out of the bullpen was never going to be the difference between Ole Miss returning to the NCAA Tournament or remaining at home for the third consecutive year.

Simmons made 13 relief appearances for the Rebels last season on the mound, posting a 3.21 ERA and a 2-0 record before being sidelined for the remainder of the season with the aforementioned elbow injury. He had some strong outings, but if his departure from the program was going to play that big a role in the team's success, the Rebels were in rough shape to begin with.

All-in-all, this is a decision that makes sense for Simmons, from a workload perspective, but it probably wasn't easy for him to give up his presence on the mound. When it's all said and done, however, this move will probably benefit Ole Miss as a whole in the long run.

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