The Thursday hearing was critical to quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and his future with Ole Miss, and for college football eligibility as a whole.
Thursday’s hearing in Pittsboro, Miss., looked to ultimately shape the future of quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and the Ole Miss Rebels football team, and potentially, future NCAA eligibility cases. The NCAA denied Ole Miss’ request to reconsider an eligibility waiver for Chambliss, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger. The latest request was submitted on Monday, but the NCAA found Thursday that the additional evidence to be insufficient. This came down while Chambliss was in a courtroom in Pittsboro for his hearing seeking a temporary injunction and a permanent injunction, which would block them from prohibiting his return.
At least, it would effectively stop them from enforcing eligibility rules until his case is fully litigated. Vanderbilt Commodores’ quarterback Diego Pavia was granted an injunction in December 2024 that allowed him to play the 2025 season out, as his case is still ongoing. The idea would be similar with Chambliss’ case dragging out through the 2026 season. It could have implications in the ongoing Joey Aguilar case and the Tennessee Volunteers.
Judge Robert Whitwell read out a painstaking order that took over an hour in the courtroom Thursday evening. By the end, Chambliss was successful in having the injunction granted, allowing him to return for the 2026 season while the case is in litigation.
Reporting on Whitwell’s live reading of the order, Dellenger indicates that Whitwell claimed that the NCAA “ignored” evidence from Ferris State over the 2022 season at the heart of all of this, among other things. The NCAA attorneys, oddly left the courtroom before the decision was rendered.
Chambliss's injunction is to effectively grant him a medical redshirt for the 2022 year at Ferris State. He reportedly didn’t play due to respiratory issues that eventually led to him having his tonsils removed. The NCAA’s position is that he doesn’t qualify for an additional redshirt after initially redshirting in 2021 as a true freshman. Chambliss played at Ferris State for two more seasons, winning the Division II national championship in 2024 with the Bulldogs before transferring to Ole Miss in April of 2025.
He became the starter in Week 3 after starter Austin Simmons suffered an injury, and never relinquished it, leading the Rebels to their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. They made it to the semifinals where they lose a close 31-27 contest to Miami. Chambliss threw for 3,937 passing yards and 22 touchdowns to just three interceptions and rushed for 527 yards and eight rushing scores.
The decision to grant the injunction is in line with courts favoring the athletes over the NCAA, at least in terms of granting these initial preliminary injunctions that allow players to compete while the case is litigating. It’s a case that had major implications for Chambliss’ NFL future, Ole Miss, and potentially the sport. Chambliss will get one more year in college with the Rebels, while the NCAA continues to lose out on these cases.