David Pollack doesn’t hesitate to stoke the fire in the world of college football, and his latest brash confessions have merely added to his status as one of the sport’s most vocal analysts. Just consider his most recent assessment of Auburn: whereas most pundits are writing off the Tigers for a hard 5-7 or even 4-8 year, Pollack defied conventional wisdom, “I like Auburn football in 2025,” he stated. But Pollack doesn’t discriminate against Auburn. He recently forecasted Clemson to win the ACC “without hesitation,” and he’s just as adamant elsewhere. That is the kind of confidence that’s signature Pollack.
This brings us to his recent insights on Ole Miss and the buzz around quarterback Austin Simmons. Pollack admires head coach Lane Kiffin’s “uncompromising authenticity”—the guy just doesn’t care what anyone thinks. Pollack even said he’d follow Lane “into the heat of battle,” which is about as high a compliment as you’ll get from a former Bulldog. And that same unpredictability that makes Kiffin so charismatic is proving to be something special. Particularly when it comes to his judgment calls. Meet Austin Simmons, the young quarterback many expected to be Kiffin’s next big star.
In his latest video on X, Pollack dissects the reason for his worry about Austin Simmons. “The Ole Miss coaching staff in that Georgia game, when Austin Simmons came in and Jackson Dart got banged up, first-round pick, Jaxson Dart. They were over there on the headset, and they were like, Jaxson, good? They were looking at each other like, did this dude just come in fresh off the pine and just run through Georgia’s defense, convert a fourth down, and make it look like it was scout team? That was absolutely incredible.” Ole Miss’ top quarterback, Jaxon Dart, and a potential first-round draft choice, took a beating early in the game, hobbled off the field, and went to the locker room with what appeared to be a dirty left ankle.
Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons is gonna be a PROBLEM
Follow See Ball Get Ball: https://t.co/asC4fun1zn pic.twitter.com/MhMZMlxMvP
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) July 11, 2025
Austin Simmons, as a freshman, was plugged directly into the fray against Georgia’s stout defense. He masterfully directed a 10-play, 75-yard drive, completing 5-of-6 passes for 64 yards, highlighted by a fourth-down gut check and a third-down momentum-setting strike for 20 yards. He finished the job off with a handoff for a nine-yard touchdown run to tie the game 7-7 and switch the momentum in an entirely different direction. The Ole Miss bench was abuzz—coaches on the headset, players wide-eyed, everybody knowing that Simmons had just made Georgia’s defense look like a scout team. Simmons’ father was not surprised.
That moment wasn’t a flash in the pan—it was the first genuine indicator that Austin Simmons is ready to pass the torch for Ole Miss. And even Pollack states, “They’ve started to understand who they are.” Following that clutch outing, Oxford’s buzz only intensified. Simmons, who reclassified to college early and graduated before anyone ever tabbed him as the starter, has prepared for this time since stepping on campus. With Jaxson Dart heading to the NFL, Simmons is the definite QB1 now, and his leadership and work ethic have already begun to manifest in the spring camp.
Lane Kiffin’s trio ready to represent Ole Miss
That buzz surrounding Austin Simmons following the Georgia game has only intensified, and now he’s about to fully enter the limelight. Simmons will be appearing with Lane Kiffin and two of his teammates at this year’s SEC Media Days in Atlanta. It’s a major deal for any player, but particularly so for a sophomore QB who has just received the keys to one of the SEC’s most explosive offenses.
In addition to Austin Simmons, junior wide receiver Cayden Lee and junior linebacker TJ Dottery will join him at the event. Lee has become Simmons’ first choice on the field and best friend off of it. Experts project him to be one of the top weapons in the Rebels’ revamped receiving corps, after he just finished a breakout year.
Kiffin himself is looking forward to the trio that he’s taking. He has hyped up their discipline, resilience, and leadership, stating, “These guys represent what we want Ole Miss football to be about.” For Simmons, he doesn’t merely show up; he proves to everyone that he’s ready for the expectations and pressure that accompany being the program’s face. The Rebels will be among the first on July 14, and everyone will be watching as Austin Simmons takes questions, guides his team, and introduces a tone for a year in which Ole Miss is looking to make waves in the SEC.
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