Missouri’s new quarterback is already speaking like a player who knows exactly where he wants to be. Austin Simmons, the former Ole Miss transfer now set to run the Tigers’ offense, said his focus isn’t on the distant goal line of the College Football Playoff. It’s on the day-to-day grind of getting ready for the season.
“Just be where your feet are. To me, that's been my mindset.
Not really trying to rush things, rush into getting into things, but it's really just taking things day by day. And honestly, you know, we're at the point where fall camp's here, but we're not here in week one.
We're not preparing for UAPB yet. We're all preparing to be acclimated to get ready for football season, so of course you know we're in that point of time where we're all just ready to play ball,” Simmons said Aug.
That calm, present-tense approach comes from a quarterback who already knows SEC football. Over two seasons at Ole Miss, Simmons threw for 1,026 yards and six touchdowns. He was named the Rebels’ starting quarterback in 2025, but his season was cut short after just two starts when an ankle injury knocked him out and cost him the job.
Now he’s at Missouri, where he earned the starting role early and is trying to build what he described as an “underdog mindset.” He’s stepping into a new offense, but the transition hasn’t meant starting from zero. One familiar face came with him: wide receiver Cayden Lee, another Ole Miss transfer.
That existing connection could matter right away, and Simmons sounded confident the two are already on the same page.
“He knows exactly what I'm thinking of in each and every play, and he understands where I'm looking at for certain coverages or how I want him to sit in this route. So it's that chemistry that we built over these years, and I think it's going to take off,” Simmons said Aug. 2.
For Missouri, Simmons’ arrival brings both a new quarterback and a familiar SEC arm with a built-in connection to one of his receivers. How that pairing develops, and what Simmons does with the Tigers’ offense, will be one of the main stories to follow this season.
In Other News...
Mizzou Fall Camp Is Already Shaping Two Crucial Position Battles
Missouris second fall camp practice with media access offered an early look at a roster already sorting itself into tiers, and a couple of the most watchable battles are right where the Tigers can least afford uncertainty. Redshirt senior defensive tackle Marquis Gracial set the tone at the opening rally, while the edge group continued to sort through its pecking order as Darris Smith, Langden Kitchen and Daeden Hopkins handled the bulk of the snaps with a fourth rotation spot still up for grabs.
The competition is just as real on the other side of the ball, where Austin Simmons has been leading drills and Matt Zollers, Nick Evers and Gavin Sidwar are all trying to separate in the backup quarterback race. Special teams also got a closer look, with punter Brunno Reus taking first-team reps, and there was another notable presence at practice in four-star linebacker JJ Bush, who was back with the team after his charges were dropped. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Is Getting National Respect With One Brutal Test Still Ahead
USA Todays preseason Coaches Top 25 gave Missouri a fresh reminder that the program has earned a seat at the national table, and the Tigers have a few individual accolades to match. Ahmad Hardy, Cayden Green and Brett Le Blanc all landed on national award watchlists, with Hardy in the Maxwell Award mix, Green up for the Outland Trophy and Le Blanc on the Patrick Mannelly Award list. Hardy and Green were also voted to the Preseason All-SEC First Team, another sign that Missouri has some recognized talent up front and in the backfield.
The ranking matters because it comes with expectations, and Missouri now has to live up to them while still carrying one brutal test on the schedule that will help define how real this respect is. For a program trying to turn preseason praise into something more lasting, the watchlist buzz is nice, but the bigger question is whether the Tigers can back it up when the spotlight gets brighter. [Read more 🡒]