Michigan's Trinidad Chambliss set to play for Ole Miss after scoring legal win
Trinidad Chambliss looks like he's going to stay in school. Chambliss, who led Ferris State to a Division II national championship in 2024 before transferring to and starring for Ole Miss last season, scored a significant legal victory Friday when the Mississippi Supreme Court denied an appeal by the NCAA regarding his future college eligibility. The NCAA's appeal was denied in a one-page order by the Mississippi Supreme Court, released without explanation.
The decision was signed by Justice Josiah Dennis Coleman. More: Basketball convinced Ferris State that Trinidad Chambliss would be football star The NCAA was appealing a lower court's ruling that had granted Chambliss an injunction on the NCAA's ruling that the star quarterback's college eligibility had been exhausted. The court battle between the NCAA and Chambliss might continue, but it now could drag well into the 2026 college football season, so it's unclear if the NCAA will continue with its case.
Attorney Tom Mars, who represented Chambliss, a Grand Rapids native, during his appeal of the NCAA's decision, declined comment when reached by The Detroit News on Friday night. The NCAA's argument against granting Chambliss an extra year of eligibility stems from his time at Ferris State. Chambliss said he sat out a season, in 2022, because of respiratory problems.
That year was never declared an official medical redshirt, and Ferris State doctors didn't have sufficient documentation that Chambliss was medically unable to play in 2022, the NCAA has argued. Chambliss was at Ferris State from 2021-24 and didn't play in 2021-22. He played sparingly in 2023, and then was the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs in 2024, leading Ferris State to a national championship.
He transferred to Ole Miss for 2025, and was 11-2, leading the Rebels to the College Football Playoff, throwing for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns while also rushing for eight TDs. Rather than go pro, Chambliss declared his intention to return to college football for a sixth year (a fourth year of actually playing), and was immediately met with strong resistance from the NCAA. If Chambliss, 23, plays college football in 2026, he could make $5 million or more in NIL money.