Ole Miss Rebels senior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss took college football by storm in his first season in Division I.
Chambliss began the year as a backup after transferring from Division II powerhouse Ferris State. But when starting quarterback Austin Simmons went down with an ankle injury in the Week 2 win over the Kentucky Wildcats, Chambliss stepped into the role and did not give it back.
Long before leading his Rebels to the College Football Playoff Semifinals, Chambliss was pleading with the NCAA to allow him to spend another year in Oxford.
On Friday afternoon, just hours after Ole Miss’s 31-27 loss to the Miami Hurricanes, Chambliss’s appeal was officially denied.
Trinidad Chambliss Began This Fight In November
Chambliss played four seasons at Division II Ferris State before transferring to Ole Miss this offseason.
This year was the quarterback’s first year with the Rebels, making it his fifth year of eligibility.
In November, Chambliss submitted a request to the NCAA to be granted a sixth year, citing an injury that had kept him sidelined during his sophomore season at Ferris.
“Chambliss, one of the breakout college football stars of 2026, filed a medical redshirt waiver for a sixth year of eligibility on Nov. 16,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel wrote in an article published before the Fiesta Bowl. “He has yet to receive a definitive answer from the NCAA, although it gave a verbal denial for the waiver in December.”
That definitive answer has arrived, and the NCAA is standing pat with its stance that Chambliss does not meet the requirements to be granted another redshirt.
Chambliss Provided 91 Pages Of Legal Documents
The quarterback has enlisted the help of lawyers and provided 91 pages of medical records to the NCAA, which he claims prove he was unable to play his sophomore season at Ferris State.
“Chambliss’ lawyer, Tom Mars, mentioned in a letter to the NCAA on the quarterback’s behalf that his client would ‘suffer irreparable harm’ if he’s not granted the waiver,” Thamel continued.
The NCAA told Mars that the 91 pages of medical documents provided were not sufficient and were “seeking contemporaneous notes” that elaborate on the care the quarterback received.
On Tuesday of this week, Mars put the pressure on the NCAA, saying that they were taking to long to make a decision on the case.
“It’s been more than seven weeks since Ole Miss provided the NCAA with all the information they needed to make a decision,” Mars said. “If the NCAA believes its bylaws clearly required more than what was provided, or that the information wasn’t sufficient to justify a waiver, one has to wonder why they still haven’t made a decision.”
Well, the decision has been made, and it is not one that Ole Miss fans or Chambliss wanted.
Chambliss threw for 277 yards and a touchdown Thursday night. He will finish his Ole Miss career having thrown for 3,937 yards, 22 touchdowns, and only three interceptions in his 13 Division I starts.
Why The NCAA Has Denied Trinidad Chambliss Sixth Year