OXFORD – Ole Miss senior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss – the former Division II star who finished eighth-place in the 2025 Heisman Trophy voting and helped lead the Rebels to a record-setting 13-2 season and College Football Playoff semifinals appearance – has had his appeal for a sixth-year waiver denied by the NCAA, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Chambliss, who filed a preliminary injunction against the NCAA in the Lafayette County Chancery Court, is scheduled to have a hearing on Feb. 12.
Chambliss led the Rebels to a No. 3 ranking in the final Associated Press poll, the highest for the program since finishing third in 1962.
Chambliss, who began his career at Ferris State, filed a waiver request for an initial year of eligibility due to missing time during the 2022 season by “citing an incapacitating illness or injury,” per the NCAA’s statement from January. The NCAA ruled that such evidence “was not provided. The documents provided by Ole Miss and the student’s prior school include a physician’s note from a December 2022 visit, which stated the student-athlete was ‘doing very well since he was seen in August 2022. Additionally, the student-athlete’s prior school indicated it had no documentation on medical treatment, injury reports or medical conditions involving the student-athlete during that time frame and cited ‘developmental needs and our team’s competitive circumstances’ as its reason the student-athlete did not play in the 2022-23 season.”
Chambliss redshirted at Ferris State during the 2021-22 season and did not play in any games the following year. He played in eight games during the 2023-24 season before taking over as the starter for the 2024-25 campaign. He blossomed for the Bulldogs, throwing for 2,926 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding 1,019 yards and 25 touchdowns rushing. He led Ferris State to the Division II national title and finished third in voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy, given annually to the top player in Division II. He entered the transfer portal last spring and committed to Ole Miss as the likely backup to assumed starter Austin Simmons.
Simmons started the first two games of the season but suffered an ankle injury toward the end of the Rebels’ win at Kentucky. Chambliss started Ole Miss’ third game against Arkansas and never looked back, throwing for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns while adding 527 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. He finished the 2025-26 season ranked 10th nationally in total offense per game (297.6 yards) and third in passing yards (3,937).
Chambliss’ combination of arm talent and elusiveness proved invaluable for a Rebels team picked to finish seventh in the SEC’s preseason poll, started the season ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press poll and lost head coach Lane Kiffin right before the start of the postseason. Chambliss’ abilities were on full display in Ole Miss’ CFP quarterfinals victory over Georgia, where he threw for a season-high 362 yards and two touchdowns in an epic comeback against the Bulldogs that wouldn’t have been possible without his improvisational skills.
He led Ole Miss to a go-ahead touchdown against Miami in the CFP semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl with just over three minutes to play, though the Hurricanes eventually drove down the field and scored the winning touchdown with less than 20 seconds to play. Chambliss’ last-second heave to the end zone went just off the outstretched hand of senior wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, who was simultaneously fighting through the contact of a Miami defender.
Chambliss would have been one of the most sought-after quarterbacks on the market had he entered the transfer portal this offseason but announced on Jan. 5 that he was staying at Ole Miss should his waiver ultimately be approved.
“The NCAA Athletics Eligibility Subcommittee’s decision to deny Trinidad’s appeal is indefensible in light of undisputed facts. The NCAA staff and the subcommittee asserted that Trinidad was not denied the opportunity to compete during the 2022 season, despite the reality that he did not dress for a single game while suffering from severe, incapacitating medical conditions,” Ole Miss said in a statement Wednesday night. “ … We will publicly stand behind Trinidad while holding the NCAA accountable for a decision that fails to align with its own rules, precedent, and the documented medical record.”
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