Ole Miss Quarterback Austin Simmons Compared to Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels will turn to redshirt-sophomore quarterback Austin Simmons to control the pace of the program's offense during the 2025 season.

With record-setting signal-caller Jaxson Dart beginning the next chapter of his playing career with the New York Giants, it's Simmons' time to shine in Oxford.

But it's been a unique path for the talented left-handed quarterback during his college career.

Simmons began his time in Oxford as a dual-sport star as a member of both the football and baseball programs for the Rebels.

Now, he's made the move to put sole focus on his football career after making the decision to step away from Mike Bianco's Ole Miss baseball squad.

Simmons' father provided high praise for his son in an interview with CBS Sports after comparing him to generational MLB star Shohei Ohtani.

“He’s a better baseball player than a football player,” Davis Simmons said back in May via CBS Sports. “A lot of people have no idea. He could be (Shohei) Ohtani. If he didn’t play football, he would be Ohtani.”

This week, [Austin] Simmons hopped on The Paul Finebaum Show where he reacted to his father's take and his thoughts on the comparison.

“I was surprised he said Shohei,” Simmons said via The Paul Finebaum Show. “I’m not sure how many two-way players there are in the league but hey, Shohei is one of them.

"I loved playing both. I loved playing in the outfield, it was a fun process. I felt like I could take both to the next level if I wanted to but things didn’t happen that way.”

Simmons made 13 appearances for Ole Miss during the 2024 season on the mound.

He flaunted a 3.21 ERA in 14.0 innings pitched with 20 strikeouts while walking 11 as a reliever for the Rebels last season as a southpaw.

The decision to step away from baseball was a challenging one for Simmons, but with an opportunity to be the starting signal-caller for the Ole Miss Rebels, he knew where his best interest was.

“It was definitely hard,” Simmons said of the decision. “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 will look to handle business for the Ole Miss Rebels in 2025 with Lane Kiffin's program looking to get over the hump and reach the College Football playing this upcoming season.