Mississippi’s State Supreme Court holds the fate of Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss in its hands following an appeal of his eligibility status on Thursday.
The NCAA is opposing the February ruling by a judge in Pittsboro, Miss., who granted Chambliss an injunction for an extra year of college eligibility in 2026 due to a medical redshirt in 2022 at Ferris State.
A request by the NCAA to expedite the ruling comes as NFL prospects complete another phase of draft preparation. The 658-page appeal calls on the court to overrule the injunction that granted Chambliss the chance to return to college rather than remain in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“NCAA members and student-athletes will be irreparably harmed in the absence of interlocutory review,” the NCAA filing reads. “The preliminary injunction provides (Chambliss) with an additional year of eligibility that is unavailable to other student-athletes under NCAA bylaws. Under the trial court’s Order, UM will enjoy the benefit of rostering a star quarterback who is no longer eligible to compete. Such an outcome is unfair to DI schools who follow the rules and must compete against UM in the 2026-2027 DI football season or who may be displaced from postseason competition by UM.”
Chambliss, who finished eighth in the 2025 Heisman Trophy race while leading the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinals, first had his appeal to play in 2026 denied by the NCAA on Jan. 9.
Attorneys filed for the injunction granted by Judge Robert Whitwell in Lafayette County Chancery Court. The University of Mississippi is located in Oxford, the county seat for Lafayette.
However, in the NCAA’s response on Thursday, it also claimed Ole Miss had put itself at risk.
“The injunction order threatens harm to UM as rostering an ineligible quarterback risks sanctions under the NCAA’s Rule of Restitution,” the filing read.
The order in February likely enjoined the rule the NCAA is referencing.
Whitwell spoke for more than an hour before declaring in February that Chambliss would receive the injunction. He declared the NCAA showed “bad faith” when denying Chambliss’ appeal by ignoring evidence brought forth by Ferris State doctors.
Chambliss spent his first four college years at Ferris State. He redshirted as a freshman in 2021, appeared in just two games due to injury in 2022 (triggering the belief he merited a medical redshirt) and threw just 33 passes as a backup in 2023 before directing Ferris State to the Div. II national championship in 2024.
The Grand Rapids, Mich., native transferred to Ole Miss in 2025 and became the team’s quarterback in Week 3 after starter Austin Simmons suffered an injury. Chambliss wound up leading the Rebels to a 13-2 season that ended with a 31-27 Fiesta Bowl loss to Miami on Jan. 8.
Chambliss completed 66.1% of his passes for 3,937 yards, 22 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He also rushed for 527 yards and eight scores.
He signed a lucrative NIL deal to return to Ole Miss, but that was placed in jeopardy when his waiver appeal was denied.
The NCAA can appeal Thursday’s decision, so Chambliss isn’t guaranteed to be in uniform when Ole Miss opens the 2026 season against Louisville on either Sept. 5 or 6 in Nashville, Tenn.
The NCAA issued a statement shortly after the injunction was granted:
“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. 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. The NCAA and its member schools are making changes to deliver more benefits to student-athletes, but the patchwork of state laws and inconsistent, conflicting court decisions make partnering with Congress essential to provide stability for current and future college athletes.”
