NCAA reveals eligibility ruling for Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss
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Trinidad Chambliss played his last game for Ole Miss on Thursday night at the Fiesta Bowl.
The Rebels’ starting quarterback had already agreed to a new deal to return to Ole Miss next season, so long as he had an additional year of eligibility. Chambliss and the school had filed a “clock extension” request for a sixth season of eligibility months ago, and they were awaiting the NCAA’s final ruling.
On Friday, the NCAA said no.
In a statement posted on social media, the NCAA said Ole Miss did not provide documents that proved the need for a medical waiver. The statement also said the NCAA’s decision “aligns with consistent application of NCAA rules.” Ole Miss can appeal the decision.
The full statement can be found below:
In November, Ole Miss filed a waiver request for football student-athlete Trinidad Chambliss, seeking to extend his five-year Division I eligibility clock, citing an incapacitating illness or injury. Approval requires schools to submit medical documentation provided by a treating physician at the time of a student’s incapacitating injury or illness, which was not provided. The documents provided by Ole Miss and the student’s prior school include a physician’s note from a December 2022 visit, which stated the student-athlete was “doing very well” since he was seen in August 2022. Additionally, the student-athlete’s prior school indicated it had no documentation on medical treatment, injury reports or medical conditions involving the student-athlete during that time frame and cited “developmental needs and our team’s competitive circumstances” as its reason the student-athlete did not play in the 2022-23 season. The waiver request was denied.
This decision aligns with consistent application of NCAA rules. So far this academic year, the NCAA has received 784 clock extension requests (438 in football). Of those, 25 cases cited an incapacitating injury (nine in football). The NCAA approved 15 of those (six in football), and all 15 provided medical documentation from the time of the injury. Conversely, all 10 that were denied (three in football) did not provide the required medical documentation.
To receive a clock extension, a student-athlete must have been denied two seasons of competition for reasons beyond the student’s or school’s control, and a “redshirt” year can be used only once. One of the rules being cited publicly (Bylaw 12.6.4.2.2) is not the correct rule for the type of waiver requested by the school. Ole Miss applied for the waiver in November, and the NCAA first provided a verbal denial Dec. 8.
Chambliss is a senior transfer from Ferris State, a Division II school. He and the Rebels were seeking a retroactive redshirt for one of his seasons at Ferris State — the 2022 campaign, which he did not play due to medical issues.
As a true freshman in 2021, Chambliss did not play in a game. He did not play in a single game during the 2022 season. In 2023, he played in 8 games with 1 start. Then, in 2024, he took over as the full-time starter and led the Bulldogs to a D2 title.
Chambliss will now presumably turn his attention to the NFL. Ole Miss, which also lost Austin Simmons to the transfer portal, will now need to find a new quarterback for 2026. The Rebels did sign a 3-star quarterback from Texas — Rees Wise — in the 2026 class.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
