The NCAA has denied the waiver request of Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who was seeking a sixth season of collegiate eligibility, the governing body of college sports announced on Friday. He could instead end up declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Chambliss, who spent four seasons at Ferris State before transferring to Ole Miss in 2025, was requesting a waiver in order to play in a sixth season of college football. He redshirted in 2021 and 2022 at Ferris State, played eight games in 2023 and then 17 games in 2024.
In order for Chambliss to qualify for the waiver, he needed to prove that he did not play for Ferris State for medical reasons. In a statement, the NCAA said that it did not find evidence presented by Chambliss to that end to be compelling.
Chambliss and Ole Miss can appeal the decision. His attorney, Tom Mars, said that Chambliss will also sue the NCAA.
"I assume that Ole Miss will file an appeal with the NCAA," Mars said in a statement. "That said, there is now an opportunity to move this case to a level playing field where Trinidad's rights will be determined by the Mississippi judiciary instead of some bureaucrats in Indianapolis who couldn't care less about the law or doing the right thing."
The governing body has lost a number of high-profile court cases over the last few years, leading to the elimination of restrictions on amateurism and transferring between schools.
Chambliss led Ole Miss to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff, before the Rebels' season ended on Thursday night in a 31-27 loss to Miami at the Fiesta Bowl.
Chambliss was expected to be late day two or early day three pick if he declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, and had announced that he would return to school, if granted the waiver, based on that evaluation. As of Jan. 5, he was the No. 119 player on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board.
Chambliss will have to make a final decision on his draft eligibility by Feb. 7, the last day for him to opt out of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers , firmly in the market for a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft, could be a potential landing spot for Chambliss if he ends up declaring. The Steelers scouted him in-person at least once this season, during a Week 5 game against LSU , when he battled fellow draft prospect Garrett Nussmeier to a 24-19 victory.
Here is the full statement from the NCAA on the denial of Chambliss' waiver:
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.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : NCAA Denies Waiver for Ole Miss Star QB, Could Enter 2026 NFL Draft
Related Headlines
