A lefty under center: How Austin Simmons is changing Mizzou’s offense

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What do Austin Simmons and John Stollenwerck have in common? Both have been on Mizzou football’s roster, both play quarterback and both are left-handed. The main difference is the expectations on Simmons and how football has changed since Stollenwerck was a signal caller in the late ‘80s.

Simmons is expected to lead the Tigers offense for an entire season, barring injury. The risk behind the decision to bring in Simmons from Ole Miss this offseason is no secret.

Mizzou went from trusting an inexperienced quarterback in Beau Pribula last season to entering a similar situation in 2026. Simmons logged 259 snaps across two seasons at Ole Miss, completing 64 of 107 passes for 1,026 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions. Another factor affects the offense aside from his lack of experience – his favored hand.

Simmons is left-handed, a rarity under center. Stollenwerck was the only other left-handed quarterback to play meaningful snaps in the Tigers’ history.

Left-handed quarterbacks face unique technical challenges in football, primarily because the sport’s typical offensive schemes and blocking assignments are tailored to right-handed passers. These differences create practical hurdles for coaching staffs, receivers and the offense as a whole.

Impact on Receivers

It may seem simple from a receiving standpoint. The ball doesn’t change, and the speed is different on every throw anyway. But it’s been a topic of conversation for Mizzou wideouts through fall camp.

A depth chart is complicated to create with so many new faces in the receiving room, but the starters seem clear: Donovan Olugbode as the X, Caleb Goodie as the Z and Cayden Lee in the slot. Jaden Lewis gave a full breakdown on the Tigers’ receivers earlier this week.

Both Olugbode and Goodie have had to adjust to Simmons’ hand preference, while Lee benefits – so does Mizzou – from already having experience with him on the Rebels.

“Just the way it spins and how it drops over the shoulder, it becomes more about the stance towards the sideline, so that’s probably the biggest difference,” Olugbode said after practice Friday.

Olugbode and Lee are both experienced SEC wide receivers, but Goodie has had to make far more adjustments in his transfer process.

“It’s definitely challenging, but I’d say I’ve become accustomed to it. It’s just playing faster and playing with a left-handed quarterback; it’s just getting used to that,” Goodie said.

The Cincinnati transfer mentioned the challenge of adjusting to Simmons’ throwing arm unprompted. Left-handed people make up a small portion of the world’s population, so it makes sense that successful left-handed quarterbacks are an anomaly. Tua Tagovailoa is the only notable name in the SEC over the past decade with that arm preference.

This shouldn’t be anywhere near a make-or-break factor to Simmons’ success. Bringing in Lee adds a safety valve for him in case it takes other receivers more time to adjust. At the end of the day, each receiver is playing at the highest level of college football and this should be something that they can adapt to.

There are ways to get comfortable with this aspect of Mizzou’s offense – other than simply getting more reps with Simmons. Olugbode put in the work on the jugs machine and quickly got a feel for catching passes from a left-handed thrower.

“It took probably two or three days. I got on the jugs machine every day, put it to left-handed quarterback, and then just caught passes like that every day after practice,” Olugbode said.

Impact on Running Backs, Offensive Linemen and Coaches

The receivers have been the most vocal about the adjustment they’ve had to make to Simmons, but all other pieces of the offense will also have to adapt.

Left-handed quarterbacks flip the backfield mechanics, reversing how handoffs are made to running backs and changing the blind-side protection responsibilities for offensive linemen, most notably forcing the right tackle to protect the quarterback’s back instead of the left tackle.

Something that’s in Simmons’ favor is how fast he’s taken control of the offense as a leader.

“He’s not afraid to speak up when something’s going bad, or something like that. He stepped into that leader role fast and knew what he wanted to accomplish from this team and knew what he wanted,” Olugbode said.

For the offensive coordinator (Chip Lindsey) and quarterbacks coach (Garrett Riley), they have to flip play designs, adjust protection and change footwork mechanics. Left-handed quarterbacks reverse blind-side pressure. They also change how passing routes break across the field.

Luckily for the Tigers, Lindsey and Riley both have 10+ years each as offensive coordinators and quarterbacks coaches. While neither has coached a left-handed starting quarterback in their time in those roles, they’ve each coached some talented quarterbacks. Lindsey’s growing tree includes Drake Maye, Bryce Underwood and John Rhys Plumlee, while Riley’s includes Cade Klubnik, Max Duggan and Tanner Mordecai. Riley also has National Championship experience, helping TCU to the title game in 2022.

On the flip side, left-handed quarterbacks can present challenges for defenses. They can be good because they create unique defensive angles, flip coverages and can cause confusion for pass rushers and linebackers who spend most of their time preparing for right-handed passers.

Monitoring Mizzou’s novelty storyline under center will be one of the minor aspects of the offense to watch this season. It could be a factor tipping the scales in close games that this program has found itself in under head coach Eli Drinkwitz.

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