The No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels have started the 2025 season 4-0, including two wins over SEC opponents, but questions remain, particularly at quarterback. Austin Simmons began the year as the starter, but after suffering an injury in the team’s game against Kentucky, transfer Trinidad Chambliss has stepped in and performed very well.
Following a statement from Rebels’ head coach Lane Kiffin about the quarterback situation, there is growing pressure for him to name Chambliss the starter for the team’s upcoming matchup against No. 4 LSU.
Is Lane Kiffin Under Pressure to Choose Trinidad Chambliss Over Austin Simmons?
After suffering an injury against Kentucky, Simmons missed the Rebels’ subsequent games. Trinidad Chambliss has thrown for 719 passing yards so far in the 2025 college football season for Ole Miss, with four touchdown passes and zero interceptions.
Simmons is back to full health heading into the Rebels’ Week 5 matchup against LSU. Despite Simmons being ready to go, reports surfaced Wednesday that Chambliss had been named the starter.
However, Kiffin appeared on the “Pat McAfee Show” and disputed those reports, saying he has not yet decided who will start against the Tigers.
Both quarterbacks are strong options for the Rebels. However, this debate likely wouldn’t exist if Simmons hadn’t been injured, leading many to believe he should regain the starting role this week.
However, Jimbo Fisher, who won a national championship as Florida State’s head coach in 2013, disagrees. Fisher explained that with Chambliss performing at such a high level, it would be unwise to switch back to Simmons, who hasn’t played in multiple weeks.
This guy is so hot right now I would start him.”#OleMiss announced Trinidad Chambliss as the starter vs #LSU and the #OffCampus crew explains why right now this is the right decision. #HottyToddy@JacobHester18 | @EJManuel3https://t.co/LYQpiBFfOz pic.twitter.com/ZCJQsWvRur
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) September 25, 2025
“This guy [Chambliss] is so hot right now, I would start him,” Fisher said. “When that guy’s got a hot hand like he is, I think it’s hard to change coming into a game after a guy [Simmons] hasn’t played in two or three weeks, and I have an opponent, that’s a top opponent.”
It will be interesting to see what Kiffin ultimately decides, and there’s a chance both quarterbacks will see playing time against LSU. Simmons is decisive from the pocket, has a live arm, and can make any throw on the field, while Chambliss’s rushing ability ranks among the best for any quarterback in the country.
Kiffin will likely use both, as each presents different challenges for the LSU defense, giving the Rebels a potential advantage. It’s a situation to watch closely heading into the weekend. Ole Miss hosts LSU at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 27, with coverage on ABC.
