After days of rumors surrounding the Florida Gators’ 2023 quarterback room, the situation has become much more tumultuous for head coach Billy Napier and the Gators.
Class of 2025 commit Austin Simmons chose to flip his commitment to Ole Miss Saturday, reclassify to 2023 and enroll early this summer, per Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports.
The flip comes after a now-deleted tweet by On3’s Josh Newberg reported Simmons would reclassify and enroll early at UF.
Simmons, a four-star recruit, is ranked No. 4 among quarterbacks in the class of 2025, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. He committed to the Gators April 4 after taking an unofficial visit to Gainesville in late March.
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin offered Simmons a scholarship in February 2022, a year before he received an offer from Florida. Simmons has yet to visit campus in Oxford, Mississippi.
The Moore Haven, Florida, native recorded 3,161 yards and 24 touchdowns this season according to MaxPreps. He holds 27 offers from schools including Arkansas, Colorado, Auburn and Tennessee.
Simmons was expected to complete the trio of potential 2023 Gators quarterbacks, a room currently headlined by Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz and redshirt sophomore Jack Miller.
Florida football begins its 2023 campaign at Utah Thursday, Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Jackson Castellano is a third-year sports media journalism student and the Digital Managing Editor at The Alligator for Spring 2024. In the past, he's served as the Sports Editor, Assistant Sports Editor and a Sports Reporter covering Football, Men's basketball and Baseball.
