Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss saw his season end on Thursday night, and on Friday, potentially his college career. The NCAA formally rejected a request for a sixth year of eligibility, with which he would have been able to return to the Rebels as their starting QB once more.
Instead, Chambliss has two options in front of him. Ole Miss can still appeal the NCAA’s ruling in an attempt to retain Chambliss and have him play out the deal he had agreed to for 2026 that was pending NCAA granting additional eligibility, or Chambliss can enter the NFL Draft to continue his football career in the pros, instead. Given the NCAA’s reasoning for their refusal to grant the additional year of eligibility, an appeal doesn’t guarantee any kind of success.
Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter said his school will appeal the ruling.
“We are disappointed with today’s announcement by the NCAA and plan to appeal the decision to the Committee level,” Carter said in a social media post, in which he included the flag of Trinidad and Tobago. “Additionally, we will continue to work in conjunction with Trinidad’s representatives in other avenues of support.”
Tom Mars, who is an attorney for Chambliss, said he was disappointed but not surprised by the NCAA’s decision. “The last time I checked, however, the only score that matters is the one at the end of the fourth quarter,” Mars said.
“I understand that Ole Miss will file an appeal with the NCAA. However, there’s 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,” Mars said. “Whether to pursue that course of action is a decision only Trinidad and his parents can make.”
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In its own statement, the NCAA explained the reason for the rejection by giving background to how the process works in general, how it worked for Chambliss and what was lacking for the decision to go in his and Ole Miss’ favor.
“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 medical documentation provided by a treating physician at the time of a student’s incapacitating injury or illness, which 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. The waiver request was denied.”
The “prior school” mentioned by the NCAA is Division II Ferris State, at which Chambliss was a redshirt freshman in 2021 before moving into a backup role and then becoming a national champion as its starter in 2024.
The NCAA elaborated that, “To receive a clock extension, a student-athlete must have been denied two seasons of competition for reasons beyond the student’s or school’s control, and a “redshirt” year can be used only once. One of the rules being cited publicly (Bylaw 12.6.4.2.2) is not the correct rule for the type of waiver requested by the school. Ole Miss applied for the waiver in November, and the NCAA first provided a verbal denial Dec. 8.”
Chambliss led the SEC in passing yards in 2025 with 3,937 while throwing 22 touchdowns against just 3 interceptions. He finished eighth in the Heisman voting overall and fifth among quarterbacks, behind Georgia’s Gunner Stockton, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia and the winner of the 2025 Heisman, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. Chambliss led Ole Miss to the College Football Player for the first time, and the Rebels’ 13 wins are a school record.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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