Trinidad Chambliss Reportedly Denied Appeal for 6th Year in NCAA, What's Next for Ole Miss QB?

The NCAA reportedly denied the latest appeal from Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss as he seeks a waiver to play a sixth year of college football.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Wednesday that the NCAA athletics eligibility subcommittee denied the quarterback's effort to receive a medical redshirt after he did not play in his second season at Ferris State.

However, Chambliss' attorneys filed an injunction in a Mississippi state court, which is scheduled to be heard Feb. 12.

Ole Miss released a statement in response:

This is not the first time the NCAA has prevented Chambliss' efforts.

The NCAA announced last month it denied his waiver request for a sixth year, which Thamel noted came after a verbal denial in December. Thamel also pointed out Ole Miss still had the option to appeal the decision after last month's denial.

"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's January denial explained. "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."

It also said, "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."

The latest injunction filed for Mississippi state court is notable given the reaction from Chambliss' attorney, Tom Mars, the last time the NCAA rejected the quarterback's waiver effort.

"I understand that Ole Miss will file an appeal with the NCAA," Mars said in January, per Thamel. "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. Whether to pursue that course of action is a decision only Trinidad and his parents can make."

This comes after Chambliss announced in January he would return to Ole Miss, ending any speculation he might follow his former head coach Lane Kiffin and transfer to LSU.

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported Ole Miss' NIL deal with Chambliss for him to return was contingent on him being granted another year of eligibility.

It remains to be seen whether Chambliss will eventually have to consider other options besides returning to the Rebels, but B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranked him as the fourth-best quarterback prospect for the 2026 NFL draft on its latest big board.

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Chambliss was excellent last season while completing 66.1 percent of his passes for 3,937 yards, 22 touchdowns and three interceptions while adding 527 yards and eight scores on the ground as a runner.

He led Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff semifinals with postseason wins over Tulane and Georgia before a semifinals loss to Miami.

Expectations will once again be high for the team if he is able to return for a sixth year.