Good news, Ole Miss fans. Trinidad Chambliss is, as of now, set to be the Rebels’ quarterback this coming season.
After being denied an additional year of collegiate eligibility by the NCAA not once, but twice, along with college athletics’ governing body electing not to reconsider its decision in light of new evidence, the state court system proved more effective in Chambliss’ pursuit of one more season at Ole Miss. On Thursday, Chancery Court Judge Robert Whitwell granted Chambliss a preliminary injunction in his lawsuit against the NCAA, allowing him to compete for Pete Golding’s team in 2026.
The ruling, which came in the form of a verdict that took well over an hour to read, occurred after the quarterback’s legal counsel, primarily represented by Grove Collective Founder William Liston, sparred with NCAA attorneys Douglas Minor and Taylor Askew in the Calhoun County courthouse in the small Mississippi town of Pittsboro.
“We are excited for Trinidad and grateful to Judge Whitwell for making the right decision today. We appreciate the thoughtful consideration given to this matter and for the court’s recognition of the circumstances surrounding Trinidad’s case,” an official statement from Ole Miss Athletics reads. “We believe this outcome affirms what we have maintained throughout this process that Trinidad deserves this opportunity to compete and complete his collegiate career on the field.”
The process played out, with Judge Whitwell and a packed courtroom getting to hear from witnesses called by Chambliss’ camp — Oxford-based board-certified otolaryngologist Dr. Ford Dye, Ole Miss quarterbacks coach Joe Judge, Chambliss’ mother Cheryl, and the quarterback himself. The NCAA, on the other hand, did not call any witnesses to the stand.
Thursday’s case centered on a request Ole Miss and Chambliss made to the NCAA seeking a medical redshirt for the 2022 season after he had conventionally redshirted the year before, when Chambliss was enrolled at Division II Ferris State. Ole Miss and Chambliss’ legal team contended that the quarterback dealt with a persistent battle with chronic tonsillitis, among other ailments, that rendered him incapable of competing in 2022.
In previous legal filings and evidence submitted to the NCAA, former Ferris State Associate AD for Sports Medicine Brett Knight, Ferris State head football coach Tony Annese, and licensed otolaryngologist Dr. Anthony Howard argued that Chambliss could not participate in football activities in 2022 and is entitled to another year, based on medical evidence. Dozens of Chambliss’ medical records were submitted to the NCAA. But it was not enough to earn a waiver for 2026.
In court, Dr. Dye verified the merits of Chambliss’ ailment, highlighting how chronic tonsillitis could hamper his ability to perform day-to-day duties as a football player, like practicing, lifting weights, and even participating in games. Chambliss’ mother attested to the personal side of things, pointing to the fatigue, weight loss, and constant sleep-depriving snoring he experienced while battling with respiratory issues in 2022.
The NCAA’s team, though it did not cross-examine Cheryl Chambliss, took Dye to task. Asking if Chambliss could have had a surgery in early August 2022 that would have, for all intents and purposes, healed his condition prior to classes beginning at Ferris State and, more importantly, before the football season. The option of surgery had been presented to Chambliss at the time, but he forewent it due to concerns that the procedure would set him back in his football development.
Chambliss himself, when on the stand, said he was under the impression that he entered the 2022 season with assurances from Annese, his head coach at Ferris State, that he would be medically redshiring would not see any on-field action, which ultimately came to fruition. This prompted Chambliss to believe that he had two years of collegiate eligibility left when he arrived at Ole Miss in 2025.
During Judge’s time on the stand, the former NFL head coach turned quarterback whisperer for Ole Miss, argued that it would be in Chambliss’ best interest to be developed at the collegiate ranks one more season. Judge further articulated the nuances of the NFL Draft process based on his experience in the pros, essentially aiming to prove that Chambliss, while eligible to pursue a professional career, is not guaranteed a deal better than the one he has lined up at Ole Miss.
Chambliss, per sources, is set to earn more than $5 million in compensation from Ole Miss in the 2026-27 season, earnings he would likely not acquire as a rookie in the NFL, especially given the fact he’s not a projected first-round selection by any reputable outlet. The NCAA, however, was not concerned with any monetary damages Chambliss might suffer, arguing that it has rules to enforce and cannot grant special treatment to some players based on how much money they could make in college.
Chambliss isn’t the first athlete to sue the NCAA to block the association from enforcing a waiver denial. Former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was granted an injunction by a federal judge in Tennessee, allowing him to take the field for the Commodores this past season. Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar, who has been in college since 2019, is currently in the process of having a judge hear his case for another year.
The NCAA recently celebrated a victory in an eligibility case it won, with former Alabama basketball player Charles Bediako being told he could no longer play for the Crimson Tide earlier this week. Bediako’s case differed from Chambliss’, at least according to Judge Whitwell on Thursday, because the basketball player had appeared in professional games in his two-year hiatus from Alabama, while the Ole Miss quarterback merely sought to continue a college run.
Still, the NCAA insisted that Chambliss was not only not entitled to another year of eligibility, but also that his attorneys failed to adequately prove that he was medically incapable of playing in 2022. Chambliss’ legal team, on the other hand, argued that the NCAA had failed to enforce its own rules properly, especially in the Ole Miss quarterback’s case, while adding that Chambliss is not looking to change any existing regulations.
After closing arguments from both sides were heard, with Liston’s final remarks being interrupted by an interjection from Minor, Whitwell called a recess and went to his chambers to prepare his ruling. Before the judge returned to the bench, the NCAA’s attorneys had left the courthouse, a move that prompted Whitwell to explore avenues of holding them in contempt.
Then, the verdict was read, and for nearly an hour-and-a-half, Whitwell explained in detail why he believed the NCAA’s argument was delivered in bad faith. Blasting the NCAA for its alleged failure to reasonably review Chambliss’ case, Whitwell argued that the NCAA failed to uphold its agreement with Ole Miss as a member-institution by not treating the eligibility request fairly.
“This court decrees in favor of Trinidad Chambliss and grants his request for preliminary injunction relief,” an emotional Whitwell said. “Trinidad Chambliss has demonstrated, based on the evidence presented, that he is entitled to an additional year of eligibility at the University of Mississippi, and the NCAA has failed in its argument to withhold that right.”
Whitwell’s detailed verdict makes the prospect of an appeal being filed by the NCAA more challenging, though still possible. In the meantime, the association is hoping Congress will take action with uniform eligibility rules that cannot be contested in state court.
“This decision in a state court illustrates the impossible situation created by differing court decisions that serve to undermine rules agreed to by the same NCAA members who later challenge them in court,” a statement from the NCAA reads. “We will continue to defend the NCAA’s eligibility rules against repeated attempts to rob future generations of the opportunity to compete in college and experience the life-changing opportunities only college sports can create.”
On the football side of things, Chambliss is the final piece of the puzzle of an Ole Miss roster that was revamped in the portal ahead of Golding’s first full season as head coach. With Chambliss eligible to compete, the Rebels go from a solid team to one that could very well compete for a national title, just as it was on the precipice of doing this past campaign.