Chase Daniel never actually played quarterback in the SEC, because when he was flinging the ball around at Mizzou the Tigers were still in the Big 12.
But Daniel knows plenty about having success at the quarterback position in big-time college football, and the now 39-year-old Texas native is a college football analyst who knows plenty about the current standout quarterbacks in the SEC.
And for Daniel, there is 1 current SEC QB who stands out above the rest. Daniel, a second-team All-American and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year at Mizzou, believes that Ole Miss signal-caller Trinidad Chambliss is the best returning starting quarterback in the SEC in 2026.
Daniel said so on Sunday night on SEC Nation, on the eve of SEC Media Days in Tampa.
“Almost 4,000 yards passing, over 500 yards rushing, a lot of different touchdowns. What really won me over when I broke him down, I thought he should have come out in the NFL Draft because of his College Football Playoff run. In 3 games, averaged over 300 passing yards and 6 total touchdowns,” Daniel said.
Daniel pointed to a few of those incredible plays that Chambliss made in the Playoff quarterfinal thriller against SEC rival Georgia.
“To me, he is the best returning starter in the SEC,” Daniel said emphatically.
Now, it’s up to Chambliss to prove Daniel right this fall and lead Ole Miss just a few games further than it got last season.
Chambliss is primed to lead Ole Miss to that elusive SEC title it’s been chasing forever, but there will be stiff competition as there is every year. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the odds for the Rebels and other SEC contenders to dethrone 2-time defending conference champion Georgia:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
