While college sports fans are focused on March Madness, spring practice is opening up for many college football teams. One of those teams is Missouri, which is looking for a new starting quarterback after Beau Pribula transferred to Virginia.
Now, there is a quarterback battle between an Ole Miss transfer and a returning player, according to Pete Nakos of On3.
The battle features Matt Zollers, who is returning to Missouri after starting seven games as a true freshman in 2025, and Austin Simmons, a former Ole Miss starter who joined the program in January.
“They both have really special arm talent,” a source told Nakos. “We just have to keep working on their decision-making and their ability to run the offense.”
According to the same source, there is little separation between the two, but currently, Simmons has the slight edge.
Simmons has won a quarterback battle before. After redshirting his freshman year behind Jaxson Dart, he became Dart's backup in 2024, playing in nine games. He entered the 2025 season in a battle with Trinidad Chambliss and won the job. He started the first two games of the year, but hurt his ankle in the game against Kentucky, allowing Chambliss to take over. Chambliss would take the job and never let it go, leading to Simmons transferring to Missouri, but staying with the program through the College Football Playoff run.
Meanwhile, Zollers was a four-star recruit out of high school and chose to join Missouri over schools such as Penn State, Pittsburgh, and Georgia. There was not a major expectation of him playing in 2025, but with injuries to both Beau Pribula and Sam Horn, he played in eight games, starting three. Still, he struggled overall and now is fighting to keep the job he held in 2025.
Regardless of who is at quarterback, they will have Ahmad Hardy running the ball, which will take the pressure off some.
