Less than 24 hours after Ole Miss lost to Miami in the College Football Playoff semifinals, the Rebels took another blow – this time coming from the NCAA.
College football’s governing body denied Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss another year of eligibility on Friday. Chambliss, who reached an NIL deal reported to be in the neighborhood of $5 million earlier this week, was seeking a sixth year in what would have been a retroactive redshirt for the 2022 season. In 2022, while at Division II Ferris State, Chambliss played in just two games due to a battle with respiratory issues that required him to get his tonsils removed, Chambliss’ legal counsel argues.
“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 NCAA said in a statement. “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.”
NCAA statement on Trinidad Chambliss:
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…
— NCAA News (@NCAA_PR) January 9, 2026
The NCAA said its decision was based on a lack of contemporaneous medical documentation supporting an incapacitating injury during the 202 season and noted that rules only allow one redshirt year, which Chambliss used as a true freshman at Ferris State in 2021. The NCAA provided statistics backing its decision, saying it has received nine eligibility clock extension requests from football players citing an incapacitating injury. The six that were approved provided medical documentation from the time of the injury while the other three did not.
Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter confirmed Ole Miss will file an appeal with the NCAA.
— Keith Carter (@KeithCarterOM) January 9, 2026
Tom Mars, Chambliss’ legal representative, made clear in a statement to Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger that this is an opportunity to file a lawsuit against the NCAA in Mississippi, where it would be a “level playing field.” Dellenger reported that Mars already has the lawsuit drafted, but the final decision must come from Chambliss and his family.
“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,” a portion of Mars’ statement reads. “Whether to pursue that course of action is a decision only Trinidad and his parents can make.”
Statement from Tom Mars. Legal action appears imminent. https://t.co/kS2hdxvrfT pic.twitter.com/UDMtZf4gFw
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 9, 2026
Chambliss was one of college football’s brightest headlines during the 2025-26 season, starting the year as a Division II transfer no one expected to see much playing time. After Rebel starter Austin Simmons went down with an injury in week two, Chambliss got his chance and never let it go. He finished the season with nearly 4,500 total yards and 30 touchdowns and was eighth in the Heisman Trophy race.
If Chambliss does end up having to move on from Oxford, he undoubtedly did enough in 2025-26 to get a chance at the NFL. He is currently ranked as the No. 6 quarterback prospect by ESPN ahead of April’s NFL Draft.