Trinidad Chambliss has been fighting to earn one more season of college football eligibility. The talented Ole Miss quarterback had his appeal to the NCAA denied recently, with the sport’s governing body ruling that Chambliss was not granted a medical redshirt for his second season at D-II Ferris State. Chambliss took the case to state court in Mississippi, hoping for one last Hail Mary. On Thursday, the court delivered.
Judge Robert Whitwell ruled in Chambliss’s favor, granting the quarterback one more year of eligibilty and ruling that the NCAA was in the wrong. And while that’s great news for Chambliss, who clearly wanted to stay at Ole Miss for another season, it’s a rough decision for NFL teams desperate to draft quarterbacking talent in 2026.
Trinidad Chambliss would be second-best QB prospect in 2026 NFL draft
Chambliss wouldn’t beat out Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza for the top quarterback in the draft rankings, but he would be firmly in the conversation for being QB No. 2 after the Heisman winner and presumptive No. 1 overall pick. For as desperately as Chambliss wanted to stay in school, his prodigious quarterbacking skills are in high demand in the NFL.
His collegiate resume and his upside as an athletic quarterback with impressive timing and touch to his throws show more tangible promise than some other candidates for the second QB. He’s got a much stronger arm and more dynamic flair than Alabama’s Ty Simpson or Garrett Nussmeier from LSU, who generally project as the top choices for QB2 now that Chambliss appears out of the picture.
Trinidad Chambliss has high athletic upside
The 6-foot, 205-pound Chambliss was a very good point guard in high school basketball, and he brings that mindset to football as well. He’s capable of making throws both from inside and outside the pocket. Chambliss plays with excellent rhythm as a passer, adept at taking what the defense gives him on his first couple of reads. His willingness to attack down the field and his deep-ball accuracy make him dangerous for defenses that overcommit to stopping Chambliss from running.
As a runner, Chambliss is quick-footed and elusive. He ran for over 500 yards in 14 games for the Rebels, and while at Ferris State he accrued over 1,000 rushing yards in his final season. He is adept at read-option concepts, and his quick trigger makes him more dangerous once he gets outside the pocket. His vision in both phases creates real problems for defenses.
Trinidad Chambliss’s 2027 NFL draft stock
Instead of offering up that resume to the NFL, Chambliss now leaps to the top of the preseason Heisman favorites. It’s easy to see him being projected as one of the first players off the board in the 2027 NFL Draft, too. It’s a status the humble Chambliss wants more than immediately jumping into the NFL frying pan, an unusual stance given how so many potential top-40 picks declare for the NFL as soon as they can. That’s not Chambliss, and that might be why NFL teams will covet him even more in 2027.
The post Trinidad Chambliss continues to resist being QB2 in the 2026 NFL Draft appeared first on The Big Lead.