Trinidad Chambliss is Ole Miss’s starting quarterback, a 24 year old sixth year senior who went from Division II Ferris State to third in the country in passing yards in a single season, then won a court fight with the NCAA to come back for one more year. He opens 2026 on Sunday night against Louisville in Nashville, and this page carries his bio, his career numbers and a game by game log that updates all season.
| Full name | Trinidad Jay Chambliss |
| Born | August 24, 2002 (age 24) |
| Hometown | Grand Rapids, Michigan; Forest Hills Northern High School |
| Size | 6 foot 1, 205 pounds |
| Path | Ferris State 2021 to 2024, Ole Miss 2025 to present; entered the transfer portal in April 2025 and signed after spring practice had already ended |
| Recruiting | Essentially unrecruited out of high school; threw for 1,610 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior before landing at Ferris State at the Division II level |
| The name | Inspired by the Holy Trinity, Trinidad being the Spanish word for Trinity, and by the boxer Félix Trinidad, a favorite of his father. Ole Miss fans answered by flying Trinidad and Tobago flags around Oxford |
| Honors | SEC Newcomer of the Year, Conerly Trophy and second team All SEC in 2025; Sugar Bowl offensive MVP; eighth in 2025 Heisman voting; GLIAC Player of the Year and a Harlon Hill finalist in 2024; part of two Division II national championship teams at Ferris State |
2026 Game Log
| Date | Opponent | Result | Comp / Att | Yards | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 6 | Louisville (Nashville) | Sun., 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC |
Rows are added after each game. The full schedule with live scores is on Ole Miss football score.
Career Stats
| Season | GS | Comp / Att | Pct | Yards | TD | INT | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Ferris State | 0 | Redshirted | |||||
| 2022 Ferris State | 0 | Did not play. The respiratory illness that cost him this season became the basis of his 2026 eligibility case | |||||
| 2023 Ferris State | 1 | 21 / 33 | 63.6 | 354 | 5 | 1 | 197.7 |
| 2024 Ferris State | 15 | 226 / 367 | 61.6 | 2,925 | 26 | 6 | 148.6 |
| 2025 Ole Miss | 13 | 294 / 445 | 66.1 | 3,937 | 22 | 3 | 155.4 |
Rushing: 527 yards and 8 touchdowns on 133 carries at Ole Miss in 2025; 1,019 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2024 at Ferris State; 1,323 yards and 29 touchdowns across his Division II career.
The Eligibility Case
Ole Miss asked the NCAA for a sixth year on the grounds that Chambliss should have received a medical redshirt for 2022, when respiratory problems kept him off the field at Ferris State. The NCAA denied the waiver on January 9, 2026, saying the record showed he sat for developmental and competitive reasons rather than medical ones, and denied the appeal on February 5. His lawyers sued the NCAA in Mississippi state court on January 16, a judge granted a preliminary injunction on February 12, and the Mississippi Supreme Court refused to hear the NCAA’s appeal in March. He is cleared to play the 2026 season.
The Short Version
Chambliss arrived in Oxford as a backup to Austin Simmons and completed four passes in the opener against Georgia State. Simmons was hurt at Kentucky, Chambliss started against Arkansas and put up 415 total yards and three touchdowns in a 41 to 35 win, and he never gave the job back. He threw for 359 yards and four touchdowns in the Egg Bowl, then went 30 of 44 for 362 yards in a 39 to 34 upset of Georgia in the Sugar Bowl that made him the offensive MVP. Ole Miss finished 13 and 2, reached the College Football Playoff semifinal before losing to Miami, and closed third in the final AP poll, its best finish since 1962. Lane Kiffin left for LSU after the playoff run; Pete Golding is in his first full season as head coach and Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy, who ran for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns, are both back.
Heisman Odds
Chambliss opened Week 1 around 13 to 1 and drifted to roughly 16 to 1 at BetMGM over the weekend, mostly because he was the last of the top contenders still waiting to play while Miami’s Darian Mensah took over the market with a five touchdown debut. He is the only quarterback near the top of the board who opened against a ranked opponent. The full board updates weekly on Heisman odds.
The Bottom Line
Trinidad Chambliss is a 24 year old sixth year senior from Grand Rapids, Michigan, who threw for 3,937 yards with 22 touchdowns and three interceptions in his first FBS season after four years at Division II Ferris State, finished eighth in the Heisman voting and took Ole Miss to its first playoff semifinal. He is back in 2026 by court order, now playing for Pete Golding after Lane Kiffin left for LSU. This page updates after every game.