Chambliss became the improbable star of Ole Miss’ unusual College Football Playoff run. After winning a Division II national championship at Ferris State, he transferred to Ole Miss last offseason, took over as the starting quarterback three games into the season and led the Rebels (13-2) on one of the greatest runs in program history.
The NCAA said the request to extend Chambliss’ eligibility beyond five years cited “an incapacitating illness or injury” that prevented him from playing during the 2022-23 season, his second at Ferris State. He also did not play in any games as a freshman.
“Approval (of the waiver request) requires schools to submit medical documentation provided by a treating physician at the time of a student’s incapacitating injury or illness, which was not provided,” the NCAA said in its statement.
NCAA statement on Trinidad Chambliss:
In November, Ole Miss filed a waiver request for football student-athlete Trinidad Chambliss, seeking to extend his five-year Division I eligibility clock, citing an incapacitating illness or injury. Approval requires schools to submit…
Chambliss could also follow the lead of numerous college athletes over the last year and take the matter to court.
Attorney Tom Mars, who is representing Chambliss, said, “There is now an opportunity to move this case to a level playing field where Trinidad’s rights will be determined by the Mississippi judiciary instead of some bureaucrats in Indianapolis who couldn’t care less about the law or doing the right thing.
“Whether to pursue that course of action is a decision only Trinidad and his parents can make.”
The NCAA is facing numerous lawsuits challenging its eligibility rules, with judges granting immediate injunctive relief in some cases that have cleared the way for athletes to compete while the case moves through the judicial system.
Most notably, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia sued challenging rules regarding how junior college years are counted toward NCAA eligibility and was granted a preliminary injunction that allowed him to play this season. Pavia led Vanderbilt to a 10-2 record and was the Heisman Trophy runner-up.
The NCAA responded to the Pavia ruling with a blanket waiver clearing others with Pavia’s very specific circumstances to compete during the current 2025-26 school year.
Other legal challenges have produced various outcomes, but the NCAA’s ability to set clear eligibility standards has been thoroughly undercut.
Chambliss, who is from Grand Rapids, Mich., enrolled at nearby Ferris State in 2021 but saw no game action in either of his first two seasons with the Division II powerhouse. Ole Miss filed a waiver with the NCAA in mid-November asking to grant him an additional year of eligibility, claiming he meets the requirements for a medical redshirt for one of the seasons he did not play.
The NCAA said it first provided a verbal denial on Dec. 8. Mars, who has handled numerous NCAA eligibility waiver cases, told The Athletic earlier this week that the initial verbal communication often is not indicative of a final decision as more information is provided.
“This decision aligns with consistent application of NCAA rules,” the NCAA said. “So far this academic year, the NCAA has received 784 clock extension requests (438 in football). Of those, 25 cases cited an incapacitating injury (nine in football). The NCAA approved 15 of those (six in football), and all 15 provided medical documentation from the time of the injury. Conversely, all 10 that were denied (three in football) did not provide the required medical documentation.”
Chambliss played 25 games in four years at Ferris State, taking over as the starter in 2023 and leading the school to a national title in 2024.
He transferred to Ole Miss in the offseason and began the season as the backup to Austin Simmons, who injured his left ankle in the second game of the season.
Simmons in December announced plans to transfer to Missouri after the Rebels’ Playoff run.
Chambliss threw for 3,937 yards, 22 touchdowns and just three interceptions this season, with another 527 yards rushing and eight touchdowns.
Earlier this week, Chambliss agreed to an NIL deal with Ole Miss, intended to keep him at the school in 2026. There was some speculation Chambliss might follow former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin to LSU as a transfer after this season.
Kiffin left for LSU after the regular season, and the Rebels responded with CFP victories against Tulane in the first round and against SEC champion Georgia in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal. Chambliss was brilliant against Georgia, passing for 362 yards in a dramatic 39-34 victory. On Thursday, he threw a go-ahead 24-yard touchdown pass to Dae’Quan Wright with 3:13 to play, only to have Miami quarterback Carson Beck respond with a game-winning drive for the Hurricanes.
Chambliss’ rise with the Rebels has been one of the most compelling stories of the college football season. He has already cashed in on the newfound fame, with an AT&T commercial that debuted in December that plays off transfer portal uncertainty.
If all avenues to continue playing in college are closed off, Chambliss showed enough in 2025 to establish himself as a draftable prospect, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote recently: “What Chambliss lacks in size and elite physical traits, he makes up for with playmaking instincts and a competitive toughness that’s coveted at the position.”
Chambliss’ NFL Draft outlook
It doesn’t sound like the fight over Chambliss’ eligibility is over. But Chambliss will have to decide soon if that fight is worth it, because the pre-draft process won’t slow down for him. If he is going to be part of the 2026 draft class, he will want to participate in one of the all-star games later this month (Senior Bowl or Shrine Bowl) and then the scouting combine in February.
There is no question that the addition of Chambliss would give this year’s quarterback class a much-needed boost. It isn’t a deep group in the top 100 picks, and the Ole Miss quarterback could hear his name called on Day 2 of draft weekend, especially given how he performed in this year’s College Football Playoff.
Chambliss is a creative athlete with a slightly above-average arm to rip throws down the seam or outside the numbers. Though NFL teams aren’t excited about undersized quarterbacks, Chambliss is elusive, in and out of the pocket, and plays with the competitive urgency needed at the position. — Brugler
Ole Miss’ next move at QB
While the Rebels awaited a decision on Chambliss, they have been vetting transfer quarterback options in case Chambliss was denied an extra year. Auburn transfer Deuce Knight was high on the Rebels’ list, according to a source briefed on the team’s plans.
Now that it appears Chambliss won’t be the Rebels’ starting quarterback in 2026, we could see movement between Knight and the Rebels soon. Knight, a five-star recruit in Auburn’s 2025 signing class from Lucedale, Miss., is one of the top uncommitted quarterbacks in the transfer portal.
The 6-foot-4, 217-pound Knight had just one start in 2025 but dazzled in it, throwing for 239 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 162 yards and four touchdowns in a rout of FCS foe Mercer in November. With Chambliss’ future in flux and Austin Simmons — Chambliss’ backup and the Rebels’ 2025 opening day starter — transferring to Missouri earlier this week, Ole Miss has a major need to fill at the position for 2026.
Ole Miss also remains in the hunt for Florida transfer quarterback DJ Lagway, who had been expected to land at Baylor after visiting the campus on Wednesday. Two sources briefed on Baylor’s pursuit of Lagway told The Athletic that neither scholarship papers nor revenue sharing/NIL contracts have been signed as of Friday afternoon, meaning Lagway can still be recruited.
Even before Lagway’s visit to Baylor, the Rebels’ staff had been in contact with Lagway and was working to get him on a visit. The denial of Chambliss’ waiver ramped up Ole Miss’ pursuit of a transfer quarterback, and with Lagway still officially unsigned, he remains a prospect of interest to the Rebels staff. — Sam Khan Jr.