ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit is already making his pick for the player who could own the sport in 2026, and he’s landing on an SEC quarterback who turned heads fast at Ole Miss.
In an interview with On3’s Andy Staples, Herbstreit went all in on Trinidad Chambliss, calling the Rebels signal-caller a potential centerpiece of college football.
“Trinidad Chambliss to me, I think is going to be the face of college football this year,” Herbstreit said. “I think he’s as good as the sport has to offer at that position…That guy’s a stud. The way he does it too.”
Chambliss earned that buzz the hard way. After spending his first four years at Division II Ferris State, the Michigan native exploded onto the scene last season, throwing for 3,937 yards and 31 touchdowns while adding 527 rushing yards and 8 scores. That run helped him win SEC Newcomer of the Year, and he took over as the starter after an injury to Austin Simmons before guiding Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Staples was right there with the praise, saying Chambliss is the quarterback he’d want most if he were building a college roster.
“He’s the guy I would trust the most…Because I’m not an NFL GM. If I am stocking a college football team and you’re saying to pick a quarterback,” Staples said.
Chambliss, new head coach Pete Golding and Ole Miss open the season against Louisville in a neutral-site game in Nashville on Sept. 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
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Fall camp has been doing what it is supposed to do for Ole Miss: sorting out who can handle bigger jobs when the pace picks up and the details get sharper. Makhi Frazier, Terez Davis and Caleb Odom are all in the middle of that process under Pete Golding, each of them sliding into new responsibilities that could matter once the season starts. Frazier has moved into the backup running back spot, Davis is lining up to start at left tackle and Odom is working toward a larger role at tight end.
For John David Baker, the tight end transition is always one of the more revealing parts of camp because the position has so much to absorb in this offense. Odom is getting a firsthand look at that learning curve, while the broader tempo and system are forcing all three players to adjust quickly. For Ole Miss, the value of camp right now is less about polished answers than about finding out which players can handle the next layer of responsibility without losing speed. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Is Counting On Johntay Cook To Prove He Can Be Trusted
Ole Miss spent the offseason reshaping its receiver room, bringing in five new wideouts from the transfer portal after key departures thinned the group. Among the most intriguing additions is Johntay Cook II, a former five-star prospect whose path has already taken him from Texas to Washington and then to Syracuse, where he put up 45 catches for 549 yards and two touchdowns last season.
The talent has never been the question with Cook, and that is why his fit in Oxford is worth watching. Ole Miss is expecting him to help on offense this fall, but the Rebels are also betting that his past off-field baggage stays in the background long enough for his production to matter. In a room with fresh faces and new roles, the real challenge is not just finding targets for him, but counting on him when the games start to tighten up. [Read more 🡒]