Trinidad Chambliss Wins Injunction, Will Suit Up for Ole Miss in 2026
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is officially cleared to play college football in 2026-at least for now. The standout signal-caller was granted a temporary injunction by a Mississippi court, allowing him to take the field this fall while his legal battle with the NCAA continues.
Chambliss took his case to Lafayette County Chancery Court after the NCAA repeatedly denied his request for a medical waiver tied to a respiratory condition he battled back in 2022. According to his legal team, Chambliss missed the entire 2022 season due to complications from tonsillitis and chronic fatigue. He had redshirted in 2021 and then played each of the next three seasons at Division II Ferris State before transferring to Ole Miss.
And what a transfer it turned out to be.
From Backup to Breakout Star
Chambliss arrived in Oxford as a relative unknown, expected to back up returning starter Austin Simmons. But when Simmons went down with an injury, Chambliss didn’t just step in-he took over.
In one of the most remarkable stories of the 2025 season, the Grand Rapids, Michigan, native put together a campaign that vaulted him into the national spotlight. He completed 66.1% of his passes for 3,937 yards, added 527 yards on the ground, and accounted for 30 total touchdowns with just three interceptions. That kind of efficiency and production helped Ole Miss punch its ticket to the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history.
The Rebels’ playoff run included wins over 11-seed Tulane and 3-seed Georgia before they fell to Miami in the national semifinals. Chambliss’s performance earned him a No. 8 finish in Heisman Trophy voting-a remarkable feat for a player who began the year as a backup.
What It Means for the Rebels
With Chambliss back under center, Ole Miss instantly becomes one of the most intriguing teams in the SEC heading into 2026. First-year head coach Pete Golding inherits a battle-tested, high-level quarterback who has already proven he can win big games on the national stage.
Chambliss is not just a returning starter-he’s arguably the top quarterback in the country and certainly the most proven in the SEC. His presence elevates the ceiling for a Rebels squad that now has legitimate SEC title aspirations.
Had the injunction not been granted, the Rebels were expected to turn to Auburn transfer Deuce Knight. The Lucedale, Mississippi, native was the No. 6 quarterback in the Class of 2025 and is widely seen as the future of the program. But with Chambliss returning, Knight will have another year to develop behind one of the best in the game.
What Comes Next
It’s important to note that this injunction doesn’t mean Chambliss has definitively won his case-it simply allows him to play while the legal process plays out. The court will still need to hear arguments on the actual merits of his claim, likely after the 2026 season wraps.
This isn’t the first time a player has used the courts to challenge the NCAA’s eligibility rulings. In 2025, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was granted a similar temporary injunction while disputing whether his junior college years should count against his eligibility. That case is still working its way through the legal system, even though Pavia has since declared for the NFL Draft.
For now, though, Ole Miss gets its leader back. And for a program coming off its best season in history, that’s massive news. Chambliss’s return doesn’t just stabilize the quarterback position-it makes the Rebels a team to watch in 2026, with unfinished business and a quarterback who’s already proven he can take them to the doorstep of greatness.