Austin Simmons: ‘Mark my words’ Ole Miss will play in CFP title game

Ole Miss football won 10 games for the third time in four years in the recently-wrapped 2024-25 season. 

However, the Rebels, like everyone else not named Ohio State or Notre Dame, were sitting at home Monday night for the College Football Playoff national championship game. 

Ole Miss won’t be in the future, if new quarterback Austin Simmons has his way. 

Simmons, a sophomore, is taking over for three-year starter Jaxson Dart, who’s off to the NFL as the school’s all-time leader in wins (28). The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Dart threw for 4,729 yards, 29 touchdowns and an SEC-leading 329.2 yards this season. His 10.8 yards per attempt and 180.7 passer rating were best in the nation. 

Dart was one of nine Rebels named All-SEC. He became one of just four players in SEC history with 12,000 total career yards. Dart broke the single-season Ole Miss passing and total offense records, as well as his own school records for single-bowl passing yards and total offense.

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Simmons received playing time for the first time in his career last season.

He completed 19 of 32 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns in nine games. He also rushed five times for 14 yards. Simmons raised eyebrows in his impressive spot duty during the Rebels’ 28-10 win over Georgia, arguably the season’s most memorable moment. 

Ole Miss couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start. Dart was intercepted on the Rebels’ first drive, leading to a Georgia touchdown, the first of the game. Dart was hobbled, too, and had to come out of the game. 

The 6-foot-3, lefty-throwing Simmons swung the game back in the Rebels’ favor. Simmons relieved the injured Dart and impressively engineered a game-tying touchdown march.

He completed five of his six passes for 64 yards in what was, ultimately, his one and only appearance of the game. The drive was punctuated by a nine-yard touchdown scamper from running back Ulysses Bentley, IV.

“Austin Simmons did a great job coming in,” now-sixth-year Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin said after the game. Simmons will no longer double as a pitcher for Ole Miss baseball now that he’s QB1. 

“We told him, ‘We’re going to run the game plan and throw with you. Not going to be one of the back-up quarterbacks who just hands off.’ He did a great job.”

Simmons’ Instagram post Monday night indicated Georgia was merely a tease — a glimpse of what’s to come.

Simmons took a screenshot of his TV while watching the title game, a win for Ohio State over Notre Dame. Former Rebel Quinshon Judkins had three touchdowns for the Buckeyes. Judkins is Ole Miss’ school-record-holder for single-season rushing yards.

“We will be here,” in the title game, Simmons wrote. “Mark my words.”

FanDuel is currently giving Simmons and the Rebels the eighth-best odds to win the 2025-26 national championship. 

However, opinions remain mixed on Ole Miss’ realistic contender chances. On3’s Andy and Ari left Ole Miss out completely of their way-too-early Top 25.

Ole Miss is replacing most of its starters on offense and defense. The Rebels signed a Top 20 high school recruiting class and currently boast the nation’s No. 3 transfer haul, according to On3.

Simmons arrived at Ole Miss in August of 2023 as the youngest player in college football. He reclassified up two recruiting classes as a four-star prospect out of Florida.

“If you see how he comes in and works each and every day, he’s awesome,” Ole Miss linebacker Chris ‘Pooh’ Paul previously said of Simmons. Paul’s one of the many Rebels now headed to the NFL. 

“He’s on top of film study with Dart, and you can see him out there throwing passes and building that chemistry with the offense in total.”