Jaxson Dart was a true dual-threat quarterback for Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels. Don’t expect Austin Simmons to be the same kind of signal-caller, and that’s alright, says Kiffin.
Austin Simmons is not as much of a runner as Dart used to be, and $14 million worth Lane Kiffin (as per Celebrity Net Worth) knows that the 495 rushing yards his quarterback provided last season will have to come from someone else in 2025.
Speaking this Thursday during the press conference for day one of the Rebels’ fall camp, Kiffin spoke about this important difference between Simmons and his predecessor and said:
“I mean that’s a pretty schematical question, but I don’t know,” Kiffin said. “I’m ok saying this: I wouldn’t picture him being really involved in a lot of quarterback runs.” (6:55)
Through three seasons with the Rebels, Dart ran for 1498 yards, with 12 touchdowns. In contrast, Simmons only ran for 14 yards in 2024, while he did manage 282 passing yards, with two touchdowns from the bench.
Don’t let Elon Musk and Donald Trump distract you from the fact that Austin Simmons is going to be the best QB in the SEC soon. pic.twitter.com/BK9PgBnNmE
— Sip Central (@sip_central) June 5, 2025
Simmons was a three-star quarterback from the class of 2023, who was considered the 35th best signal-caller in that year. From there to becoming a starter for a leading SEC program has been an incredible improvement for the player.
Pete Thamel on Austin Simmons’ unique story
While Austin Simmons isn’t your typical football overachiever, he has been an overachiever in other fields. Speaking during the SEC media days in July, ESPN’s Pete Thamel highlighted Simmons’ unique journey to becoming a starting quarterback for the Ole Miss Rebels:
“He’s a really compelling character. His backstory and upbringing is actually much more interesting than Arch Manning’s, in a sense of his path is completely unique to anyone that we’ve seen,” Thamel said. “He graduated from high school two years early and before even starting a game for Ole Miss in his third season, he’s already a college graduate.”
At the time, the ESPN analyst went on about how his unique upbringing gives Austin Simmons a great mentality and composure on the field, which is not common among players. According to conversations he had with Lane Kiffin, the Rebels coach was reminded of Tua Tagovailoa the first time he saw Simmons.
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