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ESPN Senior Writer- Senior college football writer
- Author of seven books on college football
- Graduate of the University of Georgia
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has agreed to a new deal that would have him return to the Rebels in 2026, if the NCAA approves his pending waiver for a sixth season of eligibility, sources told ESPN on Monday.
In Chambliss' first season at Ole Miss, the former Division II star has led the No. 6 Rebels to a 13-1 record, the best season in school history.
Chambliss announced his decision Monday on social media, three days before the Rebels play No. 10 Miami in Thursday's College Football Playoff semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Glendale, Arizona.
"This season has meant so much to me, especially because of the brothers I get to line up with every day and the unwavering support of the Oxford community," Chambliss posted. "My teammates are family, and together we share a common goal, to bring a championship home to Ole Miss. While the process is still ongoing, there is no place I'd rather be than finishing my college football career in Oxford."
After taking over for injured starter Austin Simmons in the third game, Chambliss never relinquished the starting job. He has completed 66.4% of his passes for 3,660 yards and 21 touchdowns with three interceptions this season, and he has rushed for 520 yards and eight scores.
He was named the SEC Newcomer of the Year and was eighth in Heisman Trophy voting.
Chambliss hasn't slowed down in the CFP. He completed 30 of 46 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns in the Rebels' 39-34 upset of No. 3 Georgia in a quarterfinal game at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on New Year's Day.
There was speculation that Chambliss might enter the transfer portal and join former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin at LSU. Rebels offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. also will coach at LSU next season.
A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, the lightly recruited Chambliss started his college career at Ferris State, where he helped the Bulldogs win Division II national championships in 2022 and 2024.
It's still unclear whether Chambliss will be eligible to play for the Rebels in 2026. Ole Miss on Nov. 16 filed a waiver petition for him to receive a sixth year of eligibility, and a decision will ultimately be made by the NCAA Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement. There were indications last month that the NCAA needed more information for the waiver to be granted. There's no definitive timeline on when a decision will be made.
"Obviously, it affects a lot of decisions of who you've got to go get, and it affects a lot of their decisions," Ole Miss coach Pete Golding said of Chambliss' waiver. "Obviously, you're recruiting quarterbacks. But do I really want to go potentially behind who I think would be the front-runner for the Heisman or not?
"So, hopefully, we'll know sooner than later, but that's out of my control, so I'm not concerned about it. We're recruiting right now like he's playing in his last year of eligibility, which he is right now, and then we've got to go find a quarterback."
Chambliss enlisted prominent attorney Tom Mars on Dec. 17 to help his case. Chambliss is asking for a medical redshirt for the 2022 season, when he was at Ferris State. (He took a traditional redshirt season during his true freshman year there in 2021.)
Chambliss did not play any games in 2022. He is retroactively seeking a medical redshirt for that season because he dealt with persistent respiratory issues that ultimately led to surgery to remove his tonsils.
The initial feedback from the NCAA's case manager, delivered to Ole Miss officials on Dec. 8, indicated that the panel was not inclined to issue the waiver. It invited the school to submit additional information, as the committee wanted more contemporaneous medical documentation from 2022.
On Dec. 22, Mars sent Ole Miss a seven-page letter, which has since been forwarded by the school to the NCAA reinstatement committee. The letter underscores the unusually high stakes in Chambliss' case, as he'd be set to make millions of dollars in 2026 as one of the sport's top returning quarterbacks.
"This matter is not just time sensitive," Mars wrote. The letter asserts that Chambliss would "suffer irreparable harm" if he isn't granted the waiver.
On Sunday, Mars sent a letter to Ole Miss senior associate athletic director for compliance Taylor Hall, asking him to forward it to the NCAA committee.
"Based on the 'objective evidence' submitted by Ole Miss, it would be absurd for the Committee to conclude that 91 pages of medical records and a detailed letter from Trinidad's treating physician do not constitute 'other appropriate medical documentation' within the meaning of Bylaw 12.6.4.2.2.," Mars wrote. "What's more, to deny Trinidad's waiver request, the Committee would have to conclude that this unimpeachable, uncontested evidence does not constitute 'appropriate medical documentation.'
"In that case, no quantity of credible evidence could ever meet such an arbitrary, unreasonable standard."
Mars told ESPN on Monday that Chambliss had not yet received a decision from the NCAA Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement.
Simmons is entering the transfer portal and will likely land at Missouri, sources told ESPN on Saturday. He entered the transfer portal with a no-contact tag, meaning other schools aren't permitted to reach out to him.
Yahoo first reported Chambliss' new deal with Ole Miss.