How Austin Simmons has handled injury, benching, rise of Trinidad Chambliss as Ole Miss QB
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Austin Simmons was the talk of Ole Miss football in the preseason.
He was the Rebels’ new starting quarterback after Jaxson Dart was picked in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Expectations were high for Simmons to bring the Rebels to the College Football Playoff.
Simmons suffered an ankle injury in Week 2, was replaced by Trinidad Chambliss and hasn’t started since despite recovering from the injury.
He’s only played sparingly as Chambliss, the Division II transfer from Ferris State, led Ole Miss (11-1) to a No. 6 seed in the CFP. The Rebels host No. 11 Tulane (11-2) at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Dec. 20 (2:30 p.m., TNT).
“He’s awesome. He’s absolutely awesome,” Ole Miss quarterbacks coach Joe Judge said of Simmons on Dec. 16. “This dude is as smart as can be. He’s extremely talented. He’s a pleasure to be around, he works relentlessly and he’s a dude that hasn’t had the easiest season to be honest with you.
“People talk all the time about a pro mindset. I think a lot of time people don’t really understand what that is. This guy is a pro in every sense of the word. He comes to work, he does his job, he supports his teammates, he improves every day.
“He’s ready for whatever we ask him to do, and he does it with a smile. This guy knows how to handle adversity and things that come his way as good as anybody I’ve ever been around.”
Simmons, a sophomore, has only played five times since sustaining the injury at Kentucky on Sept. 6. It has mostly been in special play packages or in relief like against The Citadel.
Meanwhile, Chambliss received two first-place votes for the Heisman Trophy, won SEC Newcomer of the Year, the Conerly Trophy and was a selection to the All-SEC second team.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Austin Simmons’ approach to Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss’ success
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