Lane Kiffin just signed two top recruits in his first early signing period with the Tigers. But the real concern brewing in Baton Rouge is about the quarterback position. If Garrett Nussmeier is truly headed to the NFL Draft as rumors say, LSU’s depth chart at the game’s most important position might suffer. But Lane Kiffin could be making a move on his former team’s QB1 to ease those exact worries. 

“I’ve heard some whispers that maybe Colin Hurley won’t be in Baton Rouge with Lane Kiffin coming into town,” Sam Spiegelman said on Rivals. “After not signing a high school quarterback the last two cycles, LSU is going to have to replenish this depth chart. Whether it’s an Austin Simmons, obviously the young quarterback who started the season off for Lane Kiffin in Oxford, or elsewhere in the portal like guys with Louisiana ties, and guys that Lane Kiffin recruited at Ole Miss.

“He was in it for a lot of quarterbacks that are obviously going to look at him at Baton Rouge, the opportunity to play for not only Kiffin but also Charlie Weis Jr., and have an opportunity to play pretty early.”

Austin Simmons has been remarkably loyal to Kiffin throughout his young career. Back in June 2023, Simmons flipped his commitment from Florida to Ole Miss specifically to play for Kiffin. He even reclassified from the 2025 class to join the Rebels two years early. The player even credited both Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. as major factors in that decision. And if you need more convincing about where this might be headed, just listen to what Austin Simmons’ father had to say.​

“Charlie Weis went with him, too,” David Simmons said on The Nevin Shapiro Podcast last week. “The whole offensive staff just about went with him. So Austin will be plug and play. I’m not a fool. We don’t have an issue with Lane personally. It’s business. We’ll definitely be interested. LSU is a great program. Everybody knows LSU. And before even NIL, look at how many Heisman Trophy guys came for transfers. The place just breeds good situations.”

The elder Simmons’ comments are a practical, business-first approach to his son’s future. Coaching continuity matters tremendously for quarterbacks, and Austin would be walking into a familiar offensive system with Weis and Kiffin running the offense.

LSU’s current quarterback situation is dire. Colin Hurley stepped away for “personal reasons”. And Michael Van Buren Jr. is also getting some traction from other teams, per Spiegelman. 

Hence, the pieces fit together almost too perfectly. For Austin, making the same decision again wouldn’t be surprising. It’d be the logical next chapter in a relationship that’s defined his college career so far.​ But that also means trouble for the Rebels.

Cam Newton’s warning shot to Ole Miss

Cam Newton predicted what might happen next in Oxford. On his 4th & 1 podcast, the former Carolina Panthers star threw out a theory: Don’t be shocked if Ole Miss players start opting out of the College Football Playoff to hit the transfer portal. 

“I will not be surprised if we see Ole Miss players opt out of the college football playoffs just to be eligible to make the transfer portal when it opens up on January 2nd,” Newton explained. “So wherever that coach go, a lot of them receivers are really about to go to Wide Receiver U”.

Newton’s been calling Kiffin “Lane Zachariah” throughout his coverage of the whole mess, basically saying the coach hasn’t been straight with anyone about his intentions. Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter seemed to confirm Newton’s skepticism when he admitted that “the players were concerned about commitment and those types of things” during Kiffin’s final days. According to ESPN, the team had “grown tired of the drama” and were actually more worried about whether their position coaches would stick around than they were about Kiffin himself leaving. 

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That’s a pretty damning indictment when your own players care more about the assistants than the head coach. Carter revealed that Kiffin threatened to take his entire offensive staff to LSU when he didn’t get his way. So, Newton might be onto something here. When trust breaks down that completely, all bets are off once that transfer portal window cracks open.​