Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss filed a lawsuit Friday, challenging the NCAA’s decision to deny him a sixth year of college eligibility and asking a Mississippi court to allow him to play for the Rebels next season.
Chambliss petitioned the court in Lafayette County, Miss., where the University of Mississippi is located, for a preliminary and permanent injunction that would prevent the NCAA from deeming him ineligible for the 2026-27 season.
The NCAA’s ruling on an extension of eligibility waiver for Chambliss is being appealed by Ole Miss. The denial was handed down a week ago, the day after he and the Rebels were eliminated from the College Football Playoff in the semifinals by Miami. Chambliss has already spent five seasons in college (four at Division II Ferris State and one at Ole Miss).
The NCAA said Ole Miss had not provided the necessary documentation to show that Chambliss had an injury or illness that prevented him from playing at Ferris State during the 2022-23 football season. Chambliss’ lawyer Tom Mars has said a different bylaw should be applied to Chambliss’ case.
The filing called the NCAA’s decision “bad-faith, unreasonable and arbitrary.” The complaint cites a “cascade of medical illnesses that plagued” Chambliss for about seven years.
Days before the waiver request was officially denied, Chambliss agreed to a revenue-sharing deal to return to Ole Miss if he does play another season of college football. It is unknown exactly how much Chambliss would make, but top quarterbacks in the transfer portal this cycle have been receiving deals in the $4 million-$5 million range.
A person familiar with Chambliss’ deal told The Athletic the quarterback would be among the highest paid in college football next year. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no one was authorized to speak publicly about Chambliss’ agreement with Ole Miss.
Chambliss’ agent, Fletcher Smith III, told The Athletic last week that his client was also mentally preparing for the possibility of entering the NFL Draft.
The lawsuit says doing so would likely cost Chambliss millions of dollars.
NFL rookies drafted in the first round receive four-year deals with guarantees usually exceeding $16 million total, according to spotrac.com.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Chambliss is in the process of gathering more information about his draft stock, Smith said, but he doesn’t seem likely to be a first-round prospect after one season starting in Division I.
Players selected outside the first round also receive four-year deals of up to $13 million for high second-round draft picks, but guaranteed money is usually far less. Rookie salaries for players selected in the second round or later start at around $2.3 million.
Chambliss became an unlikely star in the SEC this past season after transferring to Mississippi from Ferris State, where he led the team to a D-II national title in 2024. He did not play at all in either of his first two seasons at Ferris State, counting for one redshirt season. He took over as the starting quarterback for the school midway through the 2023 season.
At Ole Miss, he became the starter three games into this past season after an injury to starting quarterback Austin Simmons, and led the Rebels to their first CFP appearance.
Chambliss threw for 3,937 yards, 22 touchdowns and two interceptions. Ole Miss fell to Miami 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl last week.
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