Austin Simmons packed up and started over at Missouri, and the new tape already reads No.292 4★, national recruit.
6′4″ · 220 lb · Miami, FL · Pahokee
The numbers
passing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 252 pass yds, 4 TD, -2 rush yds, vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Swing playSwung Ole Miss from 58% to 83% to win.Ole Miss at Kentucky · 30-23
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior quarterback for Missouri. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Buzz vs Tape
The rival fanbase is unexpectedly warm on him relative to his own.
Also worth knowing:
Austin Simmons
Austin Simmons arrives at Missouri with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
4★ · NATIONAL RECRUIT
No.292
recruiting national rank
Missouri fans can't agree whether the tape backs the reputation.
Minority viewA vocal minority sees it the other way.
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
His career
Career arc
Badges
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Eli Drinkwitz.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Missouri
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 54-14vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 17/19 | 252 | 4 | 0 | 13.3 | 96.8 | 4 TD passes |
| Wk 2 | W 38-21@ Kansas | 19/29 | 292 | 3 | 0 | 10.1 | 86.4 | Season-high 292 yds |
| Wk 3 | W 27-17vs Troy | 10/19 | 91 | 1 | 0 | 4.8 | 21.8 | |
| Total | 46/67 | 635 | 8 | 0 | 9.4 | 68.3 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 54–14
252 yds · 4 TD · 0 INT · QBR 96.8 · -2 rush yds (2 car)
Dominant 40-point win at home against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
With B. Reus — 43.5 yards per punt · 2 punts · 1 inside the 20 · D. Olugbode — 8 rec · 116 yds · 2 TD
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Since week 2: +91 passing yards, +1 passing TD.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score percentiles
Elite: interceptions (93rd percentile). Strength: yards / att (89th percentile). Concern: pass yards (18th percentile).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Pass Profile · True throw depth (charted plays)
Adjusted ANY/A, sack rate, and where the yards came from
Adjusted ANY/A
11.635 of 126 QBsSack rate
1.5%12 of 126 QBsRarely sacked (12 of 126 QBs) and still 5 of 126 in Adjusted ANY/A.
Adjusted ANY/A uses full-season box-score totals (attempts, yards, TDs, INTs); sack rate is play-by-play-derived.
Behind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
Overall 68.7% completion on 67 attempts · 40% completion on 10 deep attempts (20+ air yds).
Zeitgeist Passer Rating
2026 · our own passing-efficiency number, shown next to the 1979 formula it does not replace.
Thin sample: 67 dropbacks66Zeitgeist Passer Ratingnot ranked until 125 dropbacks
--NCAA passer ratingno box-score line yet
Positive-play rate weight 24%
52.4%92th pct of FBS QBsshare of dropbacks that gained expected points · -2.8% schedule adj.Yards per attempt weight 56%
8.5093th pct of FBS QBssacks excluded · -0.7 schedule adj.Sack rate weight 21% (penalty)
1.7%96th pct of FBS QBsthe input passer rating cannot see · +0.2% schedule adj.Opponent-adjusted; garbage time excluded (1 of 68 dropbacks dropped). 50 = FBS average; the number is pulled toward 50 when the sample is thin. Scaled against the 2025 FBS population until enough 2026 QBs qualify. How ZPR is built.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 172 | 2.5 | 9.1 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 292 | 3.0 | 10.1 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 212 | 2.7 | 9.4 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Eli Drinkwitz
Pass share
42.3%
82 pass / 112 run
Plays / game
64.7
3 games
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
Our Heisman model has him in the top five; no finalist honor is on the books yet.
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peaked at #22 this season.
Prior to Mizzou: 2025 (Ole Miss): Simmons played in eight games for the Rebels, including starts in the first two contests of the season … Injured his ankle in the second game of the season and was limited throughout the month of September … Completed 60 percent of his passes (45 of 75) on the…