Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons describes emotions of choosing football over baseball

When Austin Simmons arrived in Oxford, he considered himself both a baseball and football player. Both head coaches, Mike Bianco and Lane Kiffin, were happy to have the quarterback/outfielder/pitcher on their respective rosters. Now, only Kiffin has the honor as Simmons has committed to playing football full-time.

That decision was not an easy one for Simmons, he admitted on Tuesday. Baseball was the sport he played before anything, loving the game from the time he was a kid.

“It was definitely hard,” Simmons said of choosing football via The Paul Finebaum Show. “Baseball was my first sport, surprisingly. Some people thought I played football first. But really, it was a tough process, probably one of the toughest decisions I’ll ever make in my life. I love both and it was really fun playing both. I just thought playing football was the best decision for me and my family.”

Simmons played high school football at Pahokee (FL) Moore Haven Junior/Senior, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 266 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Originally committed to Florida during his recruitment, Simmons famously graduated from high school two years early. He enrolled at Ole Miss as a 17-year-old and is still on the younger side at 19.

Once on campus, Simmons made 13 appearances for Ole Miss baseball during the 2024 season. His numbers are quite eye-popping too as an arm out of the bullpen, sporting a 3.21 ERA in 14.0 innings pitched, adding 20 strikeouts while walking 11. Just like he does in football, Simmons threw from the left side.

As for football, Kiffin is throwing Simmons out there as his starting quarterback. We got a glimpse of what he could do this past year in Georgia, getting a drive while Jaxson Dart dealt with an injury. Ole Miss wound up scoring a touchdown as Simmons completed five of his six throws for 64 yards against the Bulldogs.

In another world, baseball is the route Simmons decides to go down. Ole Miss had a quality team this past year, winning 43 games and hosting a regional in the NCAA Tournament. Having Simmons certainly would have added another great arm for the Rebels to deploy when needed.

But Kiffin is thankful to have him committed to football full-time. Not many opportunities in sports are better than being a starting quarterback.