Booger McFarland isn’t buying the noise around the 2027 quarterback class. At least not when it comes to who has played the best football this season.
The ESPN analyst made that point Sunday morning, putting Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss at the front of the line and making it clear he doesn’t think the race is especially tight.
"For as much as we talk about the Class of 2027 quarterbacks, the best by far this season has been Trinidad Chambliss, and it's not really close," McFarland wrote. "If he were 6-foot-2, he would be the first pick."
That’s a strong statement in a class that’s been billed as one of the deepest in years. Texas quarterback Arch Manning, Oregon’s Dante Moore and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin are the names usually sitting near the top of draft boards, with Manning often projected at No. 1 overall.
Manning is listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds. Chambliss, meanwhile, is listed at 6-foot-1, turned 24 in August and received no Division I offers.
What Chambliss has done on the field is the reason his name keeps forcing its way into the conversation. Through two games, he has completed 44 of 62 passes for 561 yards and five touchdowns with one interception.
He opened the season with a huge showing in a 41-38 win over Louisville, throwing for 336 yards, three touchdowns and adding 60 rushing yards. All four of his touchdowns came after halftime, and he helped set Ole Miss up for a 48-yard field goal as time expired.
He followed that up against Charlotte by going 23 of 26 for 225 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-9 win.
"Two touchdown passes and five scores in six drives. That sounds like Trinidad, doesn't it?"
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding said. "That sounds like a normal Saturday.
He does it and competes every play."
Chambliss’ rise didn’t start this fall. Last season, after replacing the injured Austin Simmons in Week 3, the Grand Rapids native threw for 3,937 yards with 22 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also ran for 527 yards and eight touchdowns, won the Conerly Trophy, finished eighth in Heisman voting and helped push Ole Miss to the Playoff semifinals and a No. 3 finish in the final AP poll.
Now the stage gets bigger. No.
7 LSU comes to No. 8 Ole Miss on Saturday in the SEC opener for both teams, and Lane Kiffin is set to make his return to Oxford after leaving for LSU following last season’s Playoff run.
Golding took over after being promoted from defensive coordinator, and ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be on hand as the attention spikes even higher.
"It's going to be a crazy week in Oxford," Chambliss said. "But for the players, it's all about football. That's our focus."
Chambliss said in August that he was preparing for this season like a pro, and earlier this month NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper said he believes at least five quarterbacks will go in the first round in 2027. Kiper also raised the question of whether Chambliss can do enough this season to overcome the height concerns McFarland pointed to.
In Other News...
Where Ole Miss Stands As The SEC Race Starts Taking Shape
The SEC picture is already beginning to settle after a busy Week 2, and the conferences usual heavyweight traffic jam is taking shape early. Texas made the loudest statement by knocking off top-ranked Ohio State behind a strong Arch Manning performance and a sturdy defense, while Alabama opened league play with a convincing win over Kentucky fueled by a dominant defensive showing. Texas A&M, Missouri, Tennessee and Mississippi State also came away with victories, adding to the sense that the leagues first real sorting has already started.
For Ole Miss, the ripple effect matters even before the Rebels get fully wrapped into the race. With the updated US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 reflecting those results, the early SEC hierarchy is tightening around teams that handled their first major tests and positioned themselves well in the national conversation. The Rebels are now watching not just the scoreboard in their own building, but how quickly the contenders around them are stacking wins and strengthening their cases. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Has A New Heisman Watch Reason Entering LSU
Arch Mannings comeback win for Texas at Ohio State only added another wrinkle to the early Heisman conversation, and it matters for Ole Miss because the race already has a couple of SEC-adjacent names starting to move. Texas climbed to No. 1 in the polls after rallying in the second half, but Manning still sits behind Miami quarterback Darian Mensah and Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith in the current odds. For Rebels fans heading into LSU week, it is another reminder that the national award picture is still taking shape.
Ole Miss has a name of its own climbing into that discussion, with Trinidad Chambliss drawing more attention after recent performances. Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor is also rising, which only adds to the regional buzz around the Heisman board as September unfolds. The Rebels will keep watching the numbers, because a strong start against SEC competition can change the way the rest of the country views a player in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Just Reopened An Ole Miss Rivalry Wound
Lane Kiffins move from Ole Miss to LSU has done more than change a coaching address, it has reopened one of the SECs sharpest rivalry wounds. The LSU-Ole Miss matchup has long carried extra edge, and Kiffins departure brings a familiar kind of bitterness into sharper focus for Rebels fans who already view that game through a personal lens. In college football, coaching changes often reshape the mood around a program, but this one lands with the kind of history that lingers far beyond a single season.
For Ole Miss, the issue is not just who left, but where he landed and what that says about the rivalry itself. The article places Kiffins exit alongside other fan-base flashpoints around the sport, from Penn State to Arizona, Northwestern and Oklahoma, where departures have left lingering tension in their wake. In Oxford, though, this one feels especially fresh because it ties directly back to LSU, a team the Rebels know will always be measured with a little extra emotion when the schedules line up again. [Read more 🡒]