(This story was updated to add new information.)
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss will return to Ole Miss football for the 2026 season if his eligibility waiver is approved by the NCAA, he confirmed on “SportsCenter” on Jan. 5 after multiple reports surfaced earlier in the day.
“I made that decision last night very late,” Chambliss said. “I talked to my agent and my family, and it was the best decision and best situation for me.
“I owe it to Ole Miss. Ever since I got here, I remember when I got here in my visit in April, it just felt like home and they just embraced me as a community and loved my family. It just felt like home ever since I got here.”
Chambliss, who is from Michigan, said Jan. 4 he had not heard from the NCAA about the eligibility waiver.
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding teased the news early on Jan. 5 when he tweeted an emoji of the Trinidad & Tobago flag. The flags began springing up at Ole Miss football games after Chambliss took over as quarterback in Week 3 when Austin Simmons was injured.
Chambliss will lead the Rebels (13-1) vs Miami (12-2) in the Fiesta Bowl in the CFP semifinals on Jan. 8 (6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN) in Glendale, Arizona. The winner will face the winner of the Jan. 9 Peach Bowl between Indiana and Oregon in the national championship game Jan. 19 in Miami.
Golding was promoted from defensive coordinator to Ole Miss head coach when Lane Kiffin took the LSU job on Nov. 30. Unlike Kiffin, who was very active on social media, Golding usually only tweets a shark emoji when Ole Miss gets a commitment.
In addressing his future, Chambliss previously has not said whether he would return to Ole Miss if the waiver was approved. There had been speculation that he would follow Kiffin to LSU.
Chambliss is a senior transfer from Division II Ferris State. His waiver request with the NCAA is an attempt to get an extra year of eligibility by awarding a retroactive redshirt to one of his years at Ferris State. It hinged on his 2022 season when he did not play due to medical issues.
“I had chronic tonsillitis,” Chambliss said Dec. 30. “I also had heart palpitations and trouble breathing. My respiratory system just wasn’t the best at the time.”
Chambliss has been one of the top quarterbacks in college football in his only year in the SEC. He passed for 3,016 yards and 18 touchdowns while rushing for 470 yards and six scores. He was No. 8 in Heisman Trophy voting. He was outstanding in Ole Miss’ 39-34 Sugar Bowl win over Georgia on Jan. 1.
Prominent sports attorney Tom Mars represented Chambliss during his waiver process.
“I deserve (another year)” Chambliss said Dec. 30. “I’ve only played three seasons of college football. I feel like I deserve to play four. I redshirted in 2021. That was my freshman redshirt. Then I medically redshirted in 2022. Played in 2023, 2024 and this is 2025.”
Who will be Ole Miss QB in 2026?
Although he is likely to get NFL consideration, Chambliss has expressed desire in returning to college for 2026. He is not ranked as an elite quarterback prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Austin Simmons has entered the transfer portal, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Simmons entered 2025 as the starter and led Ole Miss to a 2-0 record. An ankle injury allowed Chambliss to step in and Chambliss did not surrender the job.
Ole Miss will likely seek a quarterback in the transfer portal to compete for the starting job. AJ Maddox and Oklahoma State transfer Maealiuaki Smith are the other quarterbacks at the top of the position room.
Chambliss is ranked as the No. 6 quarterback prospect on Mel Kiper of ESPN’s 2026 NFL Draft preview published Jan. 2 after the Sugar Bowl.
Pro Football Focus ranks Chambliss as the No. 5 quarterback and No. 83 player overall.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
