Inside QB Austin Simmons' Portal Recruiting Efforts For Ole Miss Football

Austin Simmons is seemingly taking over as Ole Miss' primary player-led portal recruiter.

Nov 2, 2024; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Austin Simmons (13) during the fourth quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mississippi won 63-31. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Austin Simmons made it clear earlier this season that he anticipates taking over as the Ole Miss Rebels' starting quarterback in the post-Jaxson Dart era, and his transfer portal recruiting efforts are a testament to that stance.

Simmons has been very active on social media since the transfer window opened earlier this month, showing a willingness to lure some of the top portal talent to Oxford, Mississippi. On Tuesday, head coach Lane Kiffin and current starting quarterback Jaxson Dart were asked about Simmons' impact on portal recruiting, and the praise they offered was rather high.

"Austin's done a really good job," Kiffin said. "He's up here a lot, always asking us who we're on, going to meals with the recruits when they're here, developing relationships with them and being very active. Again, we talk about legacies and what you leave; he saw the best to ever do it in Jaxson at that, so he's trying to take over.

"Austin watched Jaxson put together a team, and so he wants to do the same thing."

Dart is on his way out as Ole Miss' quarterback, so with one game left to play in his collegiate career, he isn't as involved in this year's portal cycle as he was last year's. Still, he knows what it takes to be successful in this arena, and he likes what he sees from his understudy.

"Honestly, I'm not really involved right now with that stuff, but I think that he's doing a great job," Dart said. "It's kind of a weird situation right now because we have so many guys who are leaving and you see all these recruits coming in. But I think he's done a really good job. He tells me some of the guys that he's reaching out to, so I think they're going to do a really good job in the portal period."

Simmons said in September that his mindset has always been on becoming the next starter at Ole Miss, and it appears that he is working to assemble a talented roster around him for next season.

"That's always been my mindset, ever since last year," Simmons said. "I've always loved competing. I came here to compete and waking up with a mindset that I'm going out here to dominate, learn and also progress to become the future starter."

There's still one game remaining in Ole Miss' 2024 campaign, however, and it comes in the form of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Jan. 2 against the Duke Blue Devils. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ESPN.