This week, the No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels will play the No. 13 Missouri Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium this Saturday, Oct. 17, at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Some former Ole Miss Rebels are key contributors for Missouri this season. Quarterback Austin Simmons, wide receiver Cayden Lee and cornerback Chris Graves Jr. all transferred to Missouri from Ole Miss this past offseason.
According to Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding, Simmons' and Lee's decisions to leave were influenced by uncertainty surrounding Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss' eligibility for the 2026 season.
How Chambliss' Situation Impacted Simmons and Lee
Following Jaxson Dart's departure from Ole Miss to the NFL, it appeared that Austin Simmons was the heir apparent to the now-New York Giants quarterback.
Simmons was a four-star recruit in the class of 2023 after reclassifying from the class of 2025.
He redshirted at Ole Miss in 2023 before taking over as the backup in 2024 and the starter at the beginning of 2025. He started just two games, with 637 total yards, four total touchdowns and four interceptions.
Simmons would go down with an injury at the end of the Kentucky game in Week 2. Subsequently, Trinidad Chambliss would take over in relief of Simmons against Arkansas and played well enough to ensure Simmons wouldn't win the job back.
Cayden Lee was also a member of Ole Miss' recruiting class of 2023. Lee was a three-star prospect and would see most of his playing time for the Rebels in 2024 and 2025. In his time as a Rebel, Lee caught 106 passes for 1,623 yards and seven touchdowns.
Following the end of the Rebels' 2025 season, both Simmons and Lee had to decide whether or not they wanted to return to Ole Miss for the 2026 season. For both, a main factor in their decision to leave was uncertainty over Trinidad Chambliss' eligibility for the 2026 season.
When the transfer portal window was open, Chambliss was in the midst of a legal battle with the NCAA over a medical redshirt he believed he had received for the 2022 season, when he was still playing at Ferris State.
For Simmons, staying would've meant risking riding the bench behind Chambliss once again for a crucial redshirt-junior season. For Lee, he was uncomfortable committing to return without a guarantee of who would be throwing him the ball.
Ultimately, both Simmons and Lee, alongside Chris Graves Jr., would commit to transferring to Missouri in January 2026. In February, a Mississippi judge ruled in favor of Chambliss and gave him an injunction, allowing him to play during the 2026 season.
So far, the way the situation unfolded has worked out well for all parties. Simmons, Lee and Graves have led Missouri to a No. 13 ranking in the AP poll and are currently sitting at 5-1 on the season. Chambliss and the Rebels are No. 9 and currently have a 4-1 record.
Simmons and Lee, in particular, are having breakout seasons. Simmons has passed for more than 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns, with only a single interception. Lee has caught 42 passes for 616 yards and five touchdowns.
Now that the Missouri transfers seem to have hit their stride and are producing at a higher level than they did at Ole Miss, they're returning to Oxford looking to make a statement with a win.
Chambliss and Ole Miss will be looking to defend their home turf and prove that navigating the offseason drama with Chambliss' lawsuit was worth the effort to retain their star quarterback, even if it meant losing some valuable players.
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