Ole Miss Rebels fans thought their quarterback, Trinidad Chambliss, was on the verge of getting the NCAA’s stamp of approval. It did not end up working out that way when the NCAA ruled against it. But Chambliss and the Rebels were not going to give up that easily. With his extra year now denied, the QB who had taken the country by storm, fired back. He took the fight to court, suing the NCAA.

“This action arises from the National College Athletic Association’s (“NCAA”) bad-faith, unreasonable, and arbitrary decision to deny Trinidad Chambliss (“Trinidad”) the opportunity to complete in the upcoming 2026-27 college football season at the University of Mississippi (“Ole Miss”),” read the statement shared by On3Sports’ Ross Dellenger on January 16.

With Trinidad Chambliss’ attorneys filing a lawsuit against the NCAA in the Mississippi state court, a clearer picture is emerging.

The NCAA provided a lengthy explanation for denying Chambliss’ waiver request. Yet, he wasn’t the only one shut down. Moreover, the NCAA’s decision was part of a broader trend, as the committee also denied bids for an extra year to several other players, including Vanderbilt’s Langston Patterson and Wisconsin kicker Nathanial Vakos, signaling a hardline stance on these waivers.

Ole Miss formally submitted a waiver on November 16, seeking a sixth year for Chambliss and sending the case to the NCAA’s Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement in December. At the time, the committee kicked it back, requesting additional documentation.

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He has been chasing a medical redshirt for 2022 at Ferris State after already cashing in a standard redshirt in 2021. He didn’t log a single snap in 2022 while dealing with respiratory issues that eventually led to tonsil surgery.

The NCAA’s initial response to Ole Miss on December 8 hinted that the waiver wouldn’t be easy. Sixth-year medical approvals aren’t rare. But bouncing across programs and divisions makes Chambliss’ case more complicated. And the NCAA stuck to its decision.

The committee’s final decision arrived in January 2026, accompanied by a lengthy explanation.

“Approval requires schools to submit medical documentation provided by a treating physician at the time of a student’s incapacitating injury or illness, which was not provided,” a part of the statement read.

“The documents provided by Ole Miss and the student’s prior school include a physician’s note from a December 2022 visit, which stated the student-athlete was ‘doing very well’ since he was seen in August 2022.”

Optimism surrounded Chambliss’ case for months, with fans and analysts banking on the strength of his legal representation. His attorney, Tom Mars, has a reputation as a relentless NCAA adversary, strong enough to make Kirk Herbstreit believe Chambliss had the upper hand. The other attorney involved on behalf of Chambliss is William Liston, who is the founder and general counsel for The Grove Collective, the collective for Ole Miss athletes.

The All-SEC quarterback and his lawyer escalated the battle on Friday, formally filing a suit and challenging the ruling in court. Ole Miss officials also filed an appeal with the NCAA. But what if Chambliss is unable to get this waiver? 

Chambliss’ next chapter

In case Chambliss fails to get a green light about his return to college, the NFL is sure to accept him with open arms. His heroic comeback efforts in the win against Georgia in the playoffs was reminiscent of watching Patrick Mahomes in the NFL. Despite being a bit raw in his overall game, his ceiling is still high. With the right kind of development, he can be as explosive as Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts.

“Spoiler alert, you’re going to hear Field [Yates] and Mel [Kiper] a little later in the show say he could wind up the third quarterback taken in the draft if he winds up in this draft,” Mike Greenberg said on the ESPN College Football podcast.

In most drafts, the third quarterback selected is still first-round material. Should Trinidad Chambliss project as a Round 1 pick, he’d trail only Fernando Mendoza and possibly Ty Simpson. Any of the QB hungry teams like the Jets, Browns, Dolphins, Colts, and Raiders would love to have this young man on their roster. Even so, his college football journey would end with a brutal loss to Miami.