Austin Simmons injury update: Lane Kiffin reveals status of Ole Miss QB vs. Tulane

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin delivered some great news on the injury quarterback Austin Simmons on Monday afternoon. According to Kiffin, the team is planning on Simmons resuming his role as the starter for a Week 4 matchup against Tulane.

“He’s doing good,” Kiffin said at his weekly press conference. “I would anticipate Austin being fine to play and being our starting quarterback.”

Simmons did not start in last week’s 41-35 victory against Arkansas due to an ankle injury, with Trinidad Chambliss stepping in for him. However, Simmons appeared in the game briefly when Chambliss had to come out after hurting his hand.

Simmons was in for two plays right before halftime, leading the Rebels on a touchdown drive. However, he exited the field limping and Kiffin said after the game that the QB had “re-aggravated” his injury.

“Unfortunately, I think Austin hurt himself on that drive, but I am really proud of Austin for going out there and making a big play in the situation,” Kiffin said in his postgame press conference. “We had to check to a run on a play, and he made the big first down, and I think he re-aggravated it. So Austin’s going to be a great player, and he has done great things for us.”

So far this season, Simmons has throw for 580 yards and four touchdowns with four interceptions. That included a four-yard TD toss to Harrison Wallace on the drive that he entered the game for Chambliss against the Razorbacks.

Austin Simmons orginally arrived at Ole Miss in 2023 as a four-star recruit and spent the past two seasons as a backup to Jaxson Dart. He ranked as the No. 266 overall player and No. 19 quarterback in his recruiting cycle according to the On3 | Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services.

Chambliss showed that he was more than serviceable as a fill-in with his performance Saturday, throwing for 353 yards and a touchdown on 21-of-29 passing. He also led the team with 62 yards rushing and a pair of scores on the ground.

Even with the impressive performance out of Chambliss, though, Ole Miss will stick with Simmons after he won the job in fall camp. He certainly showed grit and toughness by entering the game last week and will hopefully be close to full health for the game against Tulane at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.