Former Ole Miss WR Cayden Lee Transfers to Missouri, Reunites with QB Austin Simmons
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The Missouri Tigers, coming off an 8-5 season, continue to rebuild their receiving corps under head coach Eli Drinkwitz after the loss of several key targets to graduation and the transfer portal.
With Kevin Coleman Jr., Marquis Johnson and Joshua Manning all gone, head coach Drinkwitz was facing a depth crisis at wide receiver with true freshman Donovan Olugbode as his lone wideout with more than three games played in 2025 returning for next season.
Over the past month, the Tigers responded by adding four new pass-catchers from across the country — but none with SEC experience.
That changed Saturday, as Mizzou got good news on the transfer-portal front after a former Ole Miss Rebels wideout confirmed his commitment to the Tigers and signed with the program for the 2026 season.
Cayden Lee, a former starting wide receiver for Ole Miss and four-star transfer portal entrant, announced his transfer to Missouri via social media with a post including him donning the Tigers uniform and captioned, “Run it😏‼️-𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯🍯”
The move comes a few days after Lee officially entered the portal and reunites him with former Rebels quarterback Austin Simmons, who joined the Tigers on Jan. 6. Lee and Simmons enrolled at Ole Miss together in 2023 and have been close since.
“I feel like me and Austin’s relationship goes like beyond the football field,” Lee said before the 2025 season, per 247Sports’ Gabe Dearmond. “We’re like best friends.”
Run it😏‼️-𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯🍯 pic.twitter.com/AFGEsoMt6r
— Cayden Lee (@Cayden_X_Lee) January 24, 2026
Simmons opened the season as the Ole Miss starter, replacing Jaxson Dart after he left for the NFL. But Simmons suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 and lost his job to Trinidad Chambliss, who led the Rebels to a 13-2 season and a berth in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
A consistent contributor for Ole Miss, Lee racked up 1,623 yards and seven touchdowns across three seasons with the Rebels, including a breakout campaign in 2024 when he caught 57 passes for 874 yards and two touchdowns.
Lee played in all 15 games during the Rebels’ CFP run and was on the preseason Biletnikoff Award watch list. He finished with 44 catches for 635 yards and three touchdowns in 2025.
His exit marks another high-profile loss for Ole Miss under Pete Golding, as the Rebels continue to absorb key departures following head coach Lane Kiffin’s move to join the LSU Tigers.
Lee is Missouri’s 28th portal addition this cycle and the third from Ole Miss, joining Simmons and cornerback Chris Graves Jr.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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