Austin Simmons Re-Signs With Missouri for 2027 Season

Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons has re-signed with Missouri for the 2027 season, ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel reported on Friday, November 6, 2026. The agreement keeps Simmons with the Tigers for another year, but it still leaves the door open for him to enter the 2027 NFL Draft after the season ends. Simmons is in his first year as the starting quarterback at Missouri after transferring from Ole Miss in January 2026. Through eight games he has thrown for 1,952 yards with 16 touchdowns and only two interceptions, and he has led Missouri to a 6-2 record and a No. 18 ranking in the first College Football Playoff ranking of the season.

Quick Facts

What the Deal Means for Simmons

The most important part of the news is what the deal does not do. It does not lock Simmons into a return, and it does not close the door on the NFL. The agreement keeps Simmons with Missouri for 2027, but he can still choose to enter the 2027 NFL Draft once the season ends. That gives him a real choice, and it gives Missouri a real answer about its quarterback room at a time when most programs are left guessing.

That kind of flexibility has become normal in modern college football. Players with draft grades worth listening to now weigh two paths at the same time. One path leads to the NFL, where the money and the chance are bigger. The other leads back to campus, where a proven starter can keep building his case and keep raising his stock. Simmons has kept both paths open.

For Simmons himself, the decision also says something about how he views his time at Missouri. He arrived in January 2026 as a transfer who had to win the starting job, learn a new offense, and earn the trust of a new locker room. Ten months later, he is the face of a ranked team with a 6-2 record. Agreeing to stay for another season, even with the draft still on the table, is a sign that he likes what he has found in Columbia.

The exact terms of the agreement were not made public. That is common with these deals, where the details stay between the player and the school. What matters for fans is the headline: Missouri knows who its quarterback can be in 2027, and Simmons has a home if he decides the draft can wait one more year.

A Breakout First Season as the Starter

Simmons did not arrive at Missouri as a proven starter. He came from Ole Miss, where he had waited for his chance, and he joined the Tigers in January 2026 with a job to win. A transfer quarterback has only a few months to learn the playbook and build timing with new receivers. Simmons did all of that, and the numbers show it.

Through eight games, he has completed 152 of 240 passes, a completion rate of 63.3 percent, for 1,952 yards. He has thrown 16 touchdown passes against only two interceptions. That ratio is the number that stands out most. Sixteen touchdowns to two interceptions tells a story of a quarterback who takes care of the ball, who makes good decisions under pressure, and who gives his team a chance to win every week. Quarterbacks who protect the ball win games, and Simmons has done exactly that.

The record backs up the stats. Missouri sits at 6-2, ranked No. 18 in the first College Football Playoff ranking of the season. That ranking puts the Tigers in the national conversation with a month of football still to play, and Simmons has been at the center of that rise.

His size helps explain why scouts are paying attention. At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, he has the frame NFL teams look for in a modern quarterback. He is big enough to stand in the pocket and tall enough to see the field over the line. The senior from Miami, Florida, has turned that size into real production in his first season as a starter.

There is also a simple human side to the story. A player who transfers schools is betting on himself. He leaves behind friends, coaches, and a place he knows, and he starts over somewhere new. When that bet pays off as quickly as it has for Simmons, the reward is a season like this one, and a choice like the one he now holds.

Where Scouts Rank Simmons for the 2027 Draft

The draft talk around Simmons is not just local hype. It comes from people whose job is to rank players for a living. NFL analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has ranked Simmons as the No. 5 quarterback and the No. 12 overall prospect on his big board for the 2027 NFL Draft. That is a striking place for a player who is in his first season as a college starter, and it shows how quickly his stock has climbed since the season began.

The mock drafts agree with that view. The latest Bleacher Report mock draft placed Simmons 13th overall to the Cleveland Browns. A pick that high would make him one of the first quarterbacks off the board. Mock drafts change every week, and they are guesses rather than promises, but the direction is clear.

That is what makes his decision so interesting. A player ranked 12th overall on a respected big board could leave now and still hear his name called early. Staying for another year would be a bet that he can climb even higher, or at least protect what he has built. Returning as a starter for a ranked team, with a full season of experience behind him, would give him more tape, more big games, and more chances to show scouts what he can do. Quarterback pay across football keeps rising too, and readers can also read our report on the Ravens being willing to make Lamar Jackson the highest paid player in NFL history, which shows how valuable a franchise quarterback has become.

It is also worth remembering how fast this has happened. At the start of the year, Simmons was a new arrival from Ole Miss with a job to win. Now he is a top 15 prospect in one of the most watched draft classes in recent years. That rise is why Missouri moved to secure him for 2027. Readers can also read our report on Jordan Rodgers picking his brother Aaron as the quarterback he trusts most, which shows how much trust matters at the position.

What It Means for Missouri and the Rest of the Season

For Missouri, the timing of the news could hardly be better. The Tigers host No. 7 Texas on Saturday, November 7, 2026, in one of the biggest games of their season. A ranked team at home against a top 10 opponent is the kind of game that defines a season, and Missouri will walk into it with its quarterback settled for next year as well as this one.

The 6-2 record and the No. 18 playoff ranking mean the season still has everything to play for. Two losses do not end a season in college football anymore, and a strong finish can change where a team ends up when the final rankings come out. The Texas game is the biggest test left on the schedule, and a win there would lift Missouri even higher.

Looking further ahead, the news also helps Missouri plan. College programs now build their rosters a year at a time, and the quarterback spot is the one position where uncertainty hurts the most. Knowing that Simmons has agreed to return in 2027 lets the coaches recruit around him, plan the offense around him, and tell the rest of the roster that the leader is staying. That stability is hard to put a price on, and it is one reason schools fight so hard to keep a good quarterback.

The transfer market has changed how teams are built, and Simmons is a good example of how it works when it works well. Missouri went into the portal, found a quarterback who fit, and gave him a chance to lead. He took that chance and turned it into a ranked season, and the school has now secured him for another year. College football fans can also read our report on Brysen Wright committing to Miami and reclassifying to 2027, another story about how the 2027 class is taking shape.

Frequently Asked Questions

Has Austin Simmons re-signed with Missouri for 2027?

Yes. ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel reported it on Friday, November 6, 2026. PowerMizzou confirmed the deal with multiple sources, and On3 reporter Pete Nakos also reported it.

Can Simmons still enter the 2027 NFL Draft?

Yes. The deal still allows Simmons to explore entering the 2027 NFL Draft after the season. He will be able to weigh his draft grade and his options once the season is over before making a final decision.

What are Simmons stats this season?

Through eight games, Simmons has completed 152 of 240 passes for 1,952 yards, with 16 touchdowns and two interceptions. His completion rate is 63.3 percent, and he has led Missouri to a 6-2 record.

Where is Simmons ranked for the 2027 NFL Draft?

NFL analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Simmons as the No. 5 quarterback and the No. 12 overall prospect on his big board for the 2027 NFL Draft. The latest Bleacher Report mock draft placed him 13th overall to the Cleveland Browns.

Sources

• The Score, Report: Simmons re-signs with Missouri for 2027, could still enter draft
• Saturday Down South, Austin Simmons reportedly makes decision on 2027 season
• 247Sports, Quarterback Austin Simmons re-signs with Missouri for 2027 season

Final Thoughts

Austin Simmons bet on himself when he left Ole Miss for Missouri in January 2026, and ten months later that bet has paid off. He is the starter for a ranked team, the owner of a 16 to 2 touchdown to interception ratio, and a top 15 prospect on the board of one of the best known draft analysts in the sport. Re-signing with Missouri for 2027 while keeping the draft door open is the best of both worlds. It starts on Saturday, when No. 7 Texas comes to town.