A battle that began after the season ended for Ole Miss came to a satisfying conclusion for the Rebels yesterday, when a court issued an injunction, giving quarterback Trinidad Chambliss a sixth year of eligibility. Chambliss had applied to the NCAA for the extra year due to the fact that he sat out the entire 2022 season for Ferris State with a respiratory condition.

The NCAA counter-argued that Chambliss had opted against surgery in 2022, choosing
to treat his condition with medicine, so he could play the season. The fact that he didn’t
play all year doesn’t matter, since he planned to play, he is guilty of playing the entire
year. It is cheap tactics like this that led to Alvin Mack in the 1993 film The Program
calling them “the NC Double A**holes.”

The truth is, it would have been extremely easy for college football’s governing body to
give Chambliss an extra year. They just awarded a ninth year of eligibility to Montana
linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu, whose first college football season was 2018. He was
a redshirt freshman, just like Chambliss, and injured his foot, causing him to sit out. In 2020, he injured his knee and had to sit out again.

Tuliaupupu was healthy in 2021 but didn’t play for USC. He finally got on the field,
playing 10 games in 2022. He was injured again in 2023, then played 9 games in
20204, followed by 14 games last season. For those keeping count, that is a total of 33
games played in total. Chambliss has 38 total, and the NCAA felt that was too many.
It’s important to note that, unlike Chambliss, Tuliaupupu was actually healthy one of
those seasons, and the NCAA allowed him to redshirt because he didn’t play.

Chambliss had a documented medical condition, but because of the treatment he
chose, the NCAA denied his request. Thankfully, a judge saw through the entire
charade, explained that Chambliss had provided all the paperwork necessary, and gave
him a chance to finish his college career in 2026.

Trinidad Chambliss In 2026

One of the people who testified on behalf of Chambliss was Ole Miss coach Joe Judge,
who pointed out that players who only play one year of Division | football are less likely
to secure big second deals. This means that not giving him an extra year would cause
irreparable harm to Chambliss. The judge agreed, and now the question is, what does
the ruling mean for the quarterback and for Ole Miss?

Chambliss led the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinals, throwing for 362
yards and 2 touchdowns against Georgia in the quarterfinals. He finished second in
Heisman voting and will be (along with Dante Moore) the favorite for 2026. The issue for
Ole Miss is that, in preparation for a season without Chambliss, they recruited and
signed Deuce Knight out of Auburn. Will Knight re-enter the portal, or will he be content
to sit behind Chambliss for a year?

Regardless of what Knight chooses to do, Chambliss will be the starter. He’ll have some
great new faces joining him in 2026. Tackle Carius Curne from LSU joins the offensive
line, and Stanford wideout Darrell Gill Jr will be a new target. Chambliss won’t have to
throw shutouts either, because the Rebels boosted their entire defense with the portal
like it was nobody’s business.

All signs point to another amazing season for Chambliss, and another deep playoff run for Ole Miss.