Kirk Herbstreit isn’t shy about where he thinks the college football spotlight is pointed heading into 2026, and for him, it lands squarely on Trinidad Chambliss.
On Tuesday afternoon, during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Herbstreit made it clear that the Ole Miss quarterback has already separated himself as one of the sport’s biggest names after a breakout 2025 season. He also touched on Ole Miss and LSU, noting the immediate link between the two programs because of Lane Kiffin, but Chambliss was the centerpiece of the conversation.
And it’s easy to see why. Chambliss put together a monster year for the Rebels, throwing for 3,937 yards with 22 touchdown passes and only 3 interceptions. He added 527 rushing yards and 8 scores on the ground, giving Ole Miss a true dual-threat weapon who kept defenses guessing all season long.
Herbstreit didn’t hold back in his praise.
“The face of the sport going into this season, as much as people are going to talk about Arch Manning, I really think Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss, him getting that year, it looked like he might not get it … getting that year, everything got taken care of,” Herbstreit said. “He is so refreshing, when you get around this guy, you’ll instantly fall in love with his personality.”
Chambliss led Ole Miss all the way to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season, where the Rebels fell in a heartbreaker to Miami, leaving them one win short of the national championship game. Still, Herbstreit’s comments suggest he expects more big moments ahead for both Chambliss and Ole Miss when 2026 arrives.
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Ole Miss Gets Its First Real Hype Test Under Pete Golding
The first real measure of where Ole Miss stands under Pete Golding arrives Monday, when the 2026 US LBM College Football Coaches preseason Top 25 poll is set to be released. USA TODAY Sports will unveil the rankings live on YouTube with analysis from college football experts, and the Rebels are widely expected to be part of the conversation as they enter the first season of the Golding era.
For Ole Miss, the number next to its name will matter less than the message it sends about the programs national footing entering a schedule that already includes Louisville, Charlotte, LSU and Florida. A preseason ranking would put an early spotlight on how quickly Golding has kept the Rebels in the top-tier discussion, even before the games begin to sort out the contenders from the hopefuls. [Read more 🡒]
John David Baker Faces Huge Ole Miss Pressure Right Away
Pete Golding is settling in for his first full season in charge of the Ole Miss defense, and the other sideline half of the equation now belongs to John David Baker. Baker has been named offensive coordinator after helping reshape East Carolinas offense before coming back to Oxford, where he inherits a group built around quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy. It is a familiar kind of Ole Miss assignment: plenty of speed, plenty of expectations, and very little patience for a slow start.
Bakers challenge is not simply keeping the operation moving, but making sure the Rebels stay efficient as the offense adjusts to a slightly different identity. The tempo should still be there, but the load is expected to tilt more toward the ground game than it did a year ago, which puts a premium on getting the details right early. For a coordinator returning to a place that knows him well, the pressure arrives fast, and the first answers will matter just as much as the scheme. [Read more 🡒]