Judge grants Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss an injunction to play for Rebels in 2026

Trinidad Chambliss’ push for an extra year of eligibility has paid off.

The Ole Miss quarterback was granted an injunction in Mississippi state court on Thursday that allows him to play for the Rebels in 2026. Chambliss, who transferred from Ferris State, had argued that he should have received a medical redshirt in 2022 while he was playing for the Bulldogs and dealing with health issues before his tonsils were removed in 2024. Chambliss redshirted in 2021 while he was at Ferris State and didn’t appear in a game in 2022.

The injunction from Judge Robert Whitwell came after the NCAA had twice denied Chambliss’ request for a sixth year of eligibility. In January, the governing body denied his request for a waiver and then subsequently denied his appeal. During the hearing Thursday, news emerged that the NCAA had denied Chambliss’ request to reconsider its decison.

Whitwell noted before he issued the injunction that the NCAA’s lawyers had left the courtroom and were not present at the time of his ruling Thursday afternoon. Whitwell talked for over an hour before issuing his ruling, and it was obvious over the course of his remarks that he was going to rule in Chambliss’ favor as he noted that the NCAA had operated “in bad faith” and that it disregarded Chambliss’ medical issues in refusing to grant him the waiver.

Whitwell also made clear that he was not ruling that the NCAA’s rules were illegal or making a larger example of the NCAA’s eligibility system.

Chambliss, 23, was one of the breakout stars of college football in 2025. After coming on in relief of an injured Austin Simmons in Ole Miss’ second game of the season, Chambliss totaled 30 touchdowns and threw just three interceptions as Ole Miss made it to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff before losing to Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.

Chambliss’ performance in the quarterfinals against Georgia was a game that will live forever in Ole Miss lore. He was 30-of-46 passing for 362 yards and two scores as the Rebels outscored the Bulldogs 27-13 in the second half for a 39-34 Sugar Bowl win.

His return to Ole Miss is a huge boost for the Rebels as they look to get back to the College Football Playoff under new coach Pete Golding. The former Ole Miss defensive coordinator became the team’s head coach ahead of the playoff in December as Lane Kiffin decided to leave Ole Miss for the open job at LSU.

To say that having Chambliss back for a second season in Oxford is massive may be an understatement. Simmons transferred after the season to Missouri and, had Chambliss not come back, Auburn transfer Deuce Knight would have been the prohibitive favorite to start for the Rebels.

Chambliss will likely be one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy ahead of the 2026 season even with Kiffin and former offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. now at LSU. Ole Miss added the No. 18 transfer class in the country this offseason, according to On3, and signed Michigan State RB Makhi Frazier and (controversially) Clemson LB Luke Ferrelli among others.

With Chambliss now set to play for the Rebels next season, there’s still one more eligibility case among starting quarterbacks in the SEC remaining. Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar has received a temporary restraining order in his efforts to play for a seventh season of college football, with a hearing set for Friday over a possible injunction that would clear the way for him to play next season.

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