Austin Simmons reclassifies to Class of 2023 and flips from Florida to Ole Miss

The four-star (Florida) quarterback Austin Simmons held more than 20 scholarship offers

MOORE HAVEN, FLORIDA- Talks of reclassification have been all the rage around Moore Haven quarterback Austin Simmons. 

Quietly behind the scenes, however, a change in where he will be playing collegiately was in the works. On Saturday afternoon, the southpaw announced that he would be switching things up. 

The quarterback announced Saturday that he is flipping his commitment from the University of Florida to Ole Miss. Simmons previously chose the Gators over Arkansas, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Florida State and Miami (FL) back on April 4th. 

Hey Oxford, I’m Home! 🦈❤️ #HottyToddy @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/vCX5gLNP9Z

— Austin Simmons (@austnsimmons) June 17, 2023

The left-handed signal caller was a key piece in Pahokee’s deep run in the Class 1-Rural playoffs last fall. Simmons in 2022 completed 163-of-242 passes for 3,161 yards and 24 touchdowns with just nine interceptions.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound quarterback has been playing since he was an 8th grader and had compiled some big numbers before last fall. Simmons in his freshman season threw for 1,684 yards and 15 touchdowns and as an 8th grader went for 771 and three scores. 

Emilee Smarr of The Palm Beach Post had reported this past week that Simmons’ father, David Simmons, had refuted reports that his son had already decided on reclassifying to the 2023 class and graduating early. According to the report, it wasn’t ruled out that Simmons could still reclassify but it was an option this off-season. 

Simmons decided to reclassify and now will graduate and start this fall with Ole Miss. 

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.