When Ole Miss welcomes Missouri to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for Homecoming on Oct. 17, former Rebels Austin Simmons, Cayden Lee and Chris Graves Jr. will return to Oxford, but this time on the opposing sideline. All players spent the previous three seasons with Ole Miss.
While Homecoming traditionally brings people together and alumni back to campus, this SEC matchup will provide a different kind of reunion. Each player made contributions during his time at Ole Miss before transferring to Missouri following the 2025 season.
“It’s going to be fun seeing Cayden (Lee) and Austin (Simmons),” quarterback Trinidad Chambliss said in a postgame press conference on Saturday, Oct. 10. “Seeing the success they have is a really cool scene. It’s going to be fun to play them. It’s going to be weird to see them in different colors.”
Austin Simmons
Simmons spent three seasons with the Rebels from 2023 to 2025, developing as a quarterback before transferring to Missouri.
In addition to football, Simmons was a dual-sport athlete, spending time as a pitcher with the Rebel baseball program. The southpaw balanced responsibilities between the two sports before eventually stepping away from baseball to focus exclusively on his football career.
After redshirting in 2023, Simmons served as the backup to Jaxson Dart during the 2024 season, appearing in nine games. One of his most memorable performances came during Ole Miss’ 28-10 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs on Nov. 9, 2024.
With the Rebels trailing 7-0 in the first quarter, Dart suffered an ankle injury that left him sidelined temporarily. Simmons entered the game and completed 5-of-6 passes for 64 yards, leading a 10-play, 75-yard drive, capped by a 9-yard touchdown run by Ulysses Bentley IV.
Dart eventually returned, but Simmons’ performance helped the Rebels respond to an early deficit and got them on the way to one of their best wins in recent memory.
Following Dart’s departure for the NFL, Simmons ultimately earned the starting quarterback job entering the 2025 season.
He opened the season throwing for 341 yards and three touchdowns against Georgia State. However, his time as the starter was cut short during the second game against Kentucky when he suffered an ankle injury.
That injury opened the door for Chambliss, who replaced Simmons against Kentucky before taking over as the starter against Arkansas the following week. Chambliss continued to lead the offense, while Simmons saw limited time even after recovering from his injury.
During his time at Ole Miss, the Miami native completed 64-of-107 passes for 1,026 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions across 17 appearances.
After the 2025 season, Simmons transferred to Missouri, where he continued his college football career. Through six games of the 2026 season, Simmons has thrown for 1,434 yards, 14 touchdowns and just one interception for the Tigers.
Golding spoke about Simmons’ departure from the program on Oct. 12. He recalled the uncertainty around Chambliss’ eligibility last season.
“From the Austin (Simmons) situation, (I) completely understand. You play quarterback. We play one of them,” Golding said. “There’s an appeal process going on and (Simmons) couldn’t take that risk.”
Cayden Lee
While Simmons spent much of his Ole Miss career developing at the quarterback position, Lee established himself as a contributor in the Rebel receiving corps early. Lee spent three seasons at Ole Miss from 2023 through 2025, appearing in 38 games.
As a freshman in 2023, Lee recorded five receptions for 114 yards and two touchdowns while beginning to carve out a role for himself in the Rebel offense.
His role significantly expanded during the 2024 season, when he finished with 57 receptions for 874 yards and two touchdowns. That season marked his most productive year in Oxford, as he became one of Dart’s most reliable targets.
Following his performance that season, the Kennesaw, Ga., native earned third-team All-SEC recognition from Phil Steele and College Football Network.
During the 2025 season, Lee continued to play a major role in the offense, recording 44 receptions for 635 yards and three touchdowns. During this season, Lee was named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list.
Across his three seasons at Ole Miss, Lee totaled 106 receptions for 1,623 yards and seven touchdowns.
Following the 2025 season, Lee transferred to Missouri along with Simmons. The move reunited the two players who had previously shared the field in Oxford and provided the Tigers with another experienced SEC receiver.
Lee’s departure from Oxford was similar to that of Simmons in that they both revolved around Chambliss’ eligibility.
“(Lee) loved his time at Ole Miss. (We) had a lot of different meetings with him. (He) wasn’t comfortable yet knowing whether the appeal was going to go through or not,” Golding said.
Through six games of the 2026 season, Lee has recorded 42 receptions for 616 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 14.7 yards per catch for the Tigers.
Chris Graves Jr.
Unlike Simmons and Lee, Graves made his contributions to the Rebels on the defensive side of the ball.
The cornerback began his college career at Miami before transferring to Ole Miss ahead of the 2023 season. The Fort Myers, Fla., native spent three seasons with the Rebels, gradually earning a bigger role in the team’s secondary.
During his first season in Oxford, Graves appeared in 13 games, recording 13 tackles and three pass breakups. He continued to produce in 2024, appearing in another 13 games and finishing with 15 tackles.
His biggest opportunity came during the 2025 season, when he played in all 15 games, nine of which were at cornerback. Graves finished the season with 33 tackles and four pass breakups, becoming a regular contributor in the Rebel defensive backfield.
He also started in Ole Miss’ College Football Playoff semifinal against Miami, recording a career-high eight tackles against the Hurricanes.
Across three seasons in Oxford, Graves appeared in 41 games and recorded 61 tackles, seven pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
Following the 2025 season, Graves transferred to Missouri, joining Simmons and Lee as another former Rebel making the move to Columbia, Mo.
His return to Oxford will give him an opportunity to compete against the program where he developed into an SEC starting cornerback.
Through six games of the 2026 season, Graves has recorded seven solo tackles (nine total) and four passes defended for Missouri. The cornerback has yet to record an interception or forced fumble this season.
