Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is still stuck in limbo after the NCAA appealed the temporary injunction that had allowed him to return to Oxford for his sixth season of college football. The Rebels quarterback’s case seemed done and dusted in February when a judge ruled in his favor, only for the NCAA to throw a spanner in the works earlier this month.
Chambliss led the Rebels to the program’s best-ever regular season at 11-1 in 2025, including clinching a highly coveted place in the College Football Playoff, while cementing himself as one of the premier quarterbacks in the country.
Ole Miss Receives Dark Prediction Despite Trinidad Chambliss’s Return
During Sunday’s segment of the “After Further Review” podcast, CBS Sports analyst Brandon Marcello was not optimistic about the Rebels repeating last season’s heroics despite the return of Chambliss.
“The big thing for me there is how do they deal with most of those pieces that defected to LSU, especially in the defensive line, they’ve lost some talent there,” Marcello said. “The good thing for them is that they’ve recruited and have had some transfers come in, not just this past offseason, but in the past to rebuild and go from there.
“I think they’ll take a step back even with Trinidad Chambliss going back on offense. That offense is still going to be able to score some points, but defensively, I don’t think they’re gonna be as good as they were this past season. That could be a team that ends up winning eight games next season.”
Chambliss was a needle mover for the Rebels last season, earning a PFSN College QB Impact Score of 90.3 after registering 3,937 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions while adding 527 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns.
Pete Golding’s Rebels Tabbed for a Rough 2026
In a March 13 column, Sports Illustrated’s Andrew Hughes tabbed coach Pete Golding’s Rebels to have a rough season due to the aftereffects of Lane Kiffin’s departure for the LSU Tigers in November 2025.
“Pete Golding did a bang-up job replenishing the roster in the transfer portal after Lane Kiffin’s LSU Tigers heavily poached the Ole Miss Rebels. Unfortunately, losing key pieces like Charlie Weis Jr. and the rest of the offensive coaching staff will put the team behind the 8-ball,” Hughes predicted.
“That there are still questions about whether Trinidad Chambliss is returning, and that Deuce Knight seemingly took it the wrong way and may have questions about his future in Oxford, means the Rebels are probably too volatile to repeat their run to the CFP’s semifinals in 2025/2026.”
The Rebels earned a PFSN College Defense Impact score of 82.9, good for No. 10 in the SEC last season, vis-Ã -vis a PFSN College Offense Impact score of 85.0, good for No. 4 in the conference.
