Trinidad Chambliss’ move from Ferris State and his rise to Ole Miss’s starting quarterback for the 2025 season proved successful. He led the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl and earned eighth place in Heisman Trophy voting. However, ongoing legal issues regarding his eligibility have cast doubt on his return to Ole Miss.
Football Analyst Breaks Down Trinidad Chambliss’ Legal Next Steps Amid Eligibility Fight
Chambliss is seeking a sixth year of eligibility due to health issues during the 2022 season at Ferris State, when he reportedly played only a few games because of respiratory problems. The NCAA, however, did not consider his illness severe enough and reviewed his 2022 medical records, ultimately deciding he should move on to the NFL. They denied his waiver request in January and again last week on appeal.
Greg McElroy, host of the “Always College Football” podcast, discussed Chambliss’s next steps on Tuesday.
“So what does Trinidad do?” McElroy quipped. “He continues with Tom Mars, and if you don’t know who Tom Mars is, he is the John Wick of college football attorneys. Like, if you have an eligibility issue, you call Tom Mars. Mars has filed a lawsuit that is just peak college football. He is actually citing a broadcast from the 2024 D2 championship game, and during the game, the announcers, who were hired by the NCAA they explicitly referred to 2022 as Trinidad’s medical redshirt year.
“So you think about the irony there. The NCAA is arguing that he wasn’t medically redshirted while people that are calling the game were saying that he was, and it was on an NCAA-owned broadcast.”
Chambliss also cited financial reasons for wanting another college season, as he signed a contract with Ole Miss worth over $5 million, according to Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger. Meanwhile, Ole Miss has submitted a “reconsideration” request to the NCAA, which can be made when new evidence or information emerges in a case.
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A hearing for a temporary injunction is set for Thursday at the Calhoun County Courthouse in Pittsboro, Mississippi. If Chambliss cannot secure another season at Ole Miss, he is expected to be a notable addition to this year’s quarterback class. PFSN analyst Ian Cummings predicted that, if the NCAA denies his eligibility, Chambliss will be selected 65th overall by the Cleveland Browns.
Chambliss completed 66.1% of his passes for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2025, while also rushing for 527 yards and eight touchdowns. He finished the season ranked No. 5 in the PFSN College Football QB Impact Metric with a 90.3 score.
