OXFORD — This spring has been nothing like last spring — or so many other previous springs — for Austin Simmons.

There’s been no baseball to occupy his time. There’s also been no Jaxson Dart to learn from.

Instead, Simmons has become not only Ole Miss’ starting quarterback while focusing on football only this spring, but he’s also become the face of the Rebels’ program.

“It’s very different,” Simmons said. “It’s not something I’m used to. I’ve been doing that flip-flopping thing since high school. It’s been a great feeling just having to worry about one thing.”

As for being the proverbial “big man on campus,” that’s not something Simmons thinks about.

“I don’t look at it like being ‘the guy’ here,” Simmons said. “Football is football, at the end of the day. Regardless if I’m the starting quarterback or I’m the backup quarterback, it doesn’t matter. It’s still football. You prepare for one game and our ultimate goal is to win the national championship. I always like to set a goal for myself each and every day and to always progress and get better at one thing every day.”

Of course, there are demands on his time. At Ole Miss’ Meet the Rebels Day event a week ago, the line for Simmons was still going strong when the allotted two hours expired. Simmons stayed another 20 minutes, signing autographs and greeting fans.

That was easy, but there are definitely requests that require a no.

“Things are more time-consuming,” Simmons said. “I have more responsibilities outside the facility. Of course, I come in here and watch film with coaches and stuff like that and just have a bigger name at the time.

“I really want to prioritize on the reason I came here — and that’s to be a great football player and that’s to win a national championship. I’ll do whatever it takes to reach those goals and whatever it takes to minimize the distractions outside the facility.”

Ole Miss wraps up spring on Saturday. The Rebels had their 14th spring practice Thursday. Simmons said the Rebels’ offense is still finding its identity offensively and building chemistry.

“I think summer is going to be very big for us,” Simmons said. “I feel like that’s where we will find ourselves and find out who we are as a team.”