Lane Kiffin's starting QB, Austin Simmons, makes feelings known on comparisons to LA Dodgers' $700,000,000 superstar: "I was surprised"

It may come as a surprise to many but Lane Kiffin's starting quarterback, Austin Simmons, like LA Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, was a two-way baseball player when he was playing in high school. He could pitch, rake at the plate and play stellar outfield defense.

In May, Simmons' father, Davis, during an interview with CBS Sports, compared the Ole Miss Rebels quarterback to Ohtani, who is signed to a 10-year, $700 million contract.

“He’s a better baseball player than a football player,” Davis said. “A lot of people have no idea. He could be (Shohei) Ohtani. If he didn’t play football, he would be Ohtani.”

During a conversation with college football analyst Paul Finebaum this week, Simmons was left surprised by his father's comments. However, he laments that he couldn't continue playing baseball when he arrived in college.

“I was surprised he said Shohei,” Simmons said via The Paul Finebaum Show. “I’m not sure how many two-way players there are in the league but hey, Shohei is one of them. I loved playing both. I loved playing in the outfield, it was a fun process. I felt like I could take both to the next level if I wanted to but things didn’t happen that way.”

Choosing football over baseball was a "tough decision" for Austin Simmons

Not many can do well in both sports at the college and professional level but Austin Simmons was ready to do that in college at least. He even did well in his freshman season with Ole Miss. He pitched in 13 games, achieving a 2–0 record with a 3.21 ERA and recording 20 strikeouts over 14 innings.

Unfortunately, Simmons' baseball season was cut short due to a UCL strain sustained during a game against Alabama. This influenced his baseball career and the major decision he was about to make.

In early 2025, Simmons decided to step away from baseball. This move came after his discussion with baseball head coach Mike Bianco.

Talking to Paul Finebaum about the same, Simmons said:

“It was definitely hard. Baseball was my first sport, surprisingly. Some people thought I played football first. But really, it was a tough process, probably one of the toughest decisions I’ll ever make in my life. I love both and it was really fun playing both. I just thought playing football was the best decision for me and my family.”

Simmons now hopes to have a good year ahead in 2025 and take Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff after missing out last season.