Eli Drinkwitz has spent the last few years coaching through college football’s nonstop churn, and he sounded like a man who’s stopped pretending the sport will ever settle down.
“We have had complete chaos from year to year,” he said Sunday, as Mizzou opened preseason media day on the eve of his seventh season leading the program. He pointed to the pandemic, the transfer portal, NIL, and the constant tug-of-war between legislation and litigation.
Missouri has plenty of moving parts again this fall. More than 50 new players are in the mix.
The defense has major holes to fill. Ahmad Hardy’s return date is unclear after he was shot in the leg in May.
There’s also a new offensive coordinator.
But at quarterback, at least, the Tigers have something they did not have a year ago: certainty.
Ole Miss transfer Austin Simmons has already been named the starter, giving Missouri a clear answer at the most important position on the field.
“He’s got a skillset that is different than anybody that I’ve coached here as far as arm strength and arm talent,” Drinkwitz said.
That’s the headline trait, but it’s hardly the only reason Missouri is betting on Simmons. The story starts with how fast he grew up. He had his associate’s degree by 17, reclassified by two years, and arrived at Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies before making his first start there as a sophomore.
“He has like five degrees now, right?” joked receiver Cayden Lee, who also came to Mizzou from Ole Miss.
In reality, Simmons is working on his third degree, a master’s in sports management. Still, the joke lands because it speaks to how advanced his path has been.
“How would you have been ready to go to college after your sophomore year in high school?” said first-year offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, who has held the same job at Auburn, North Carolina and Michigan last season. “There’s no chance I would have been.”
For Missouri, that accelerated academic track is just another sign of the intelligence and drive that show up in the way Simmons plays. He’s 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, throws with a powerful left arm and has the athleticism to create when things break down. Lee said Simmons sees the field the same way he does.
“I feel like we go hand in hand,” Lee said.
Still, Lindsey was quick to note that brains and background only go so far. Simmons has only two college starts, and experience remains its own currency.
“Now,” Lindsey said, “how does that translate to football?”
Lindsey doesn’t sound doubtful. He likes the arm, the ability to make every throw and the mobility to produce off schedule. He also points to something less measurable: Simmons does not seem to carry his mistakes around with him, and he handled last season’s injury and demotion with the right attitude.
“Honestly, I’m actually kind of grateful for that whole thing happening to me,” Simmons said in his first interview since transferring to Missouri, adding that “it made me really understand that this game can really go away at any point.”
Simmons began the 2025 season at Ole Miss, then suffered an ankle injury and lost the starting job to Trinidad Chambliss. Chambliss went on to lead the Rebels to the College Football Playoff national semifinal and finished eighth in Heisman voting.
With Chambliss back at Ole Miss, Simmons landed at Missouri for a combination of reasons, but three stood out most: new receivers coach Garrett Riley, Lindsey and Drinkwitz.
“For me, Coach Drink was special, because, honestly, he’s like one of a kind,” Simmons said, calling Drinkwitz “funny” and “goofy” while also noting that he is “hands-on with everyone” on the team.
Simmons’ background was shaped long before college. His father, David, pushed him to play up in sports, take extra classes while homeschooling and work with private quarterback coach Oliver Bozeman as early as elementary school. That put him around NFL receivers and, later, around NFL quarterbacks who trained with Bozeman, including Michael Vick and current Chiefs backup Justin Fields.
All of it, Simmons said, “really just made me mature even faster.”
He believes that growth shows up on the field in the way he carries himself.
Still, he knows there is room to keep developing, especially as a leader.
“I mean, I’m not the loudest guy,” he said. “I’m really just more chill, more laid back for the most part. … (But) when I have to speak up, whenever the time comes, my voice will be heard.”
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