Trinidad Chambliss Reflects on Ole Miss’ Resilient Season After Lane Kiffin’s Exit
If there’s a word that defines Ole Miss football in 2025, it’s resilience. And no one embodies that more than quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
On the heels of head coach Lane Kiffin’s surprise departure to LSU, Chambliss stood tall-not just as the leader of an 11-1 Rebels squad with College Football Playoff dreams, but as the newly crowned winner of the C Spire Conerly Trophy, awarded annually to the top college football player in Mississippi.
“I’m just proud of how our team overcame a lot,” Chambliss said after receiving the award. And he wasn’t speaking in generalities. This season has tested Ole Miss at every turn.
Before a single snap was played, the Rebels were rocked by the passing of teammate Corey Adams-a loss that hit the locker room hard. Then came the coaching bombshell: Kiffin, the architect of Ole Miss’ high-powered offense and swaggering identity, was heading to Baton Rouge. But through it all, Chambliss says the team never wavered.
“That’s a little bit of adversity,” he said of Kiffin’s exit. “But our team’s just been locked in and focused.”
That focus now shifts to the postseason, where Ole Miss is firmly in the mix for a CFP berth. And while the Rebels are entering this next chapter under new leadership, Chambliss made it clear the locker room is all-in on interim head coach Pete Golding.
“We have all of our trust in Coach Golding,” he said. “He’s a motivator.
He’s committed, and he’s ready to go. And we’re trusting him, and we’re rolling right now.”
Chambliss has been at the center of that momentum. His numbers speak for themselves: 3,016 passing yards (fourth in the SEC), 18 touchdowns to just three interceptions, and a 65.5% completion rate. Add in 470 rushing yards and six scores on the ground, and you’ve got a dual-threat quarterback who didn’t just manage the offense-he elevated it.
What makes this run even more impressive is where Chambliss started the season: on the bench.
The Ferris State transfer opened the year as the backup to Austin Simmons. But when Simmons went down in Week 3 against Arkansas, Chambliss stepped in-and never looked back. His rise from Division II depth piece to SEC standout has been one of the most compelling stories in college football this season.
Now, he’s hoping that story isn’t over just yet.
Chambliss has filed a waiver in hopes of returning for one more year in 2026. The situation is a bit murky-his freshman season at Ferris State in 2022 saw him appear in just two games, but Division II redshirt rules at the time didn’t align with those in Division I. If the NCAA grants the waiver, he could get that year back.
“It would mean the world to me to have an extra year to come back and play college football,” Chambliss said. “I should hear something soon, hopefully within a week or two.”
Still, Chambliss knows he has to prepare for the possibility that this is it. The NFL is calling, and he’s starting to think about training, pre-draft evaluations, and the next phase of his football journey.
“This is technically my last year,” he said. “I’m obviously trying to get another waiver, another year of eligibility. But, yeah, I do got to start thinking about maybe possibly training for the NFL... just got to be ready for whatever happens.”
Whatever happens next, Chambliss has already cemented his place in Ole Miss history. He’s the second straight Rebel to win the Conerly Trophy, following Jaxson Dart in 2024. He’s the 12th Ole Miss player to take home the honor, and the program now holds a state-best 13 total wins of the award.
“Very blessed to receive an award like the Conerly Trophy,” Chambliss said. “I was a little nervous.
I didn’t know if I was going to win. I’m glad that I did, and I’m just truly grateful to be up for such an award and to be in the company of that award now as well.”
From backup to breakout star, from Division II to the heart of the SEC, Trinidad Chambliss has been the steady hand Ole Miss needed during a season full of turbulence. And whether he’s back in Oxford next fall or suiting up on Sundays, one thing’s clear: he’s not done making noise.