Story by
How late-blooming Trinidad Chambliss can follow Bo Nix, Tyler Shough as older NFL Draft prospects
- Story by
- How late-blooming Trinidad Chambliss can follow Bo Nix, Tyler Shough as older NFL Draft prospects
How late-blooming Trinidad Chambliss can follow Bo Nix, Tyler Shough as older NFL Draft prospects originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Legendary Ole Miss quarterback Archie Manning sent Trinidad Chambliss a text the morning after the Rebels beat LSU 32-24 at Vaught Hemingway Stadium.
Advertisement
"I told him I couldn't be more proud of him, of course," Manning told The Sporting News.
Manning was the No. 2 pick in the 1971 NFL Draft and played 13 seasons in the NFL. Chambliss' draft stock has become a contested topic. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound quarterback turned 24 in August. Chambliss, a sixth-year senior, began his career at Division II Ferris State before transferring to Ole Miss.
Does that matter? Here is a look at recent NFL Draft history and quarterbacks who are 24 and older.
IYER: NFL scouting report on Trinidad Chambliss
Why Trinidad Chambliss is part of trend of older QBs
Chambliss was granted an injunction by a Mississippi district court judge to play in college for a sixth season. He led Ferris State to a Division II national championship in 2024. Chambliss had 153 passing yards, 78 rushing yards and five total TDs in a 49-14 victory against Valdosta State in the Division II national championship game.
Advertisement
He transferred to Ole Miss in his fifth year and emerged as a star at Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin and later Pete Golding. Chambliss had 3,933 passing yards, 22 TDs and three interceptions. He added 527 rushing yards and eight TDS. The Rebels made the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Chambliss continued that hot streak to start the 2026 season. He averaged 349.5 passing yards in victories against No. 24 Louisville and No. 7 LSU – and he is considered one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy.
Chambliss will be 25 years old when the 2027 NFL season starts, but a few other QBs have followed the same path in recent seasons. Injuries have played a role in the prolonged college careers. All of those quarterbacks transferred at least one time. How did it impact their draft stock?
MORE: Week 4 Top 25 picks | College Football Playoff forecast
Advertisement
NFL Draft QBs by age since 2020
A total of 80 quarterbacks have been selected in the NFL Draft since 2020. Of those quarterbacks, a total of 21 were 24 or 25 years old when they were selected.
That trend has increased in the last four years. In 2023, a total of seven quarterbacks who were 24 or older were selected in the draft. That number stayed at four in 2024 and 2025 and dropped to three in 2026.
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
24-and-older QBs since 2020
Of those QBs, six have been taken on either Day 1 or Day 2. A closer look at those quarterbacks and how their story compares to Chambliss:
Michael Penix Jr.
Drafted:2024 first round (No. 8)
Advertisement
Penix played six seasons in college between Indiana and Washington . At IU, he suffered season-ending injuries in four straight seasons but led the Hoosiers to a Covid-shortened 6-2 record in 2020. Penix joined Kalen DeBoer at Washington and led the Huskies to the CFP championship game as a sixth-year senior in 2023. Penix finished second in the Heisman voting and finished with 4,903 passing yards, 36 TDs and 11 interceptions. The Falcons drafted Penix at 24 years old. He is 4-8 as a starter in two seasons and suffered a torn ACL in 2025.
Bo Nix
Drafted:2024 first round (No. 12)
Nix played three seasons at Auburn from 2019-21 before transferring to Oregon, where he emerged as one of the most-efficient QBs in college football over a two-year stretch. Nix had a 77.4% completion percentage with 45 TDs and three interceptions in 2023. Oregon was 22-5 in those two seasons and Nix finished third in the Heisman voting in 2023. Nix was 24 when drafted by the Broncos , and he's had success with coach Sean Payton. Nix, who is 25-11 as a starter, suffered a right ankle fracture during a 33-30 victory against Buffalo in the AFC divisional playoffs last season.
Advertisement
Tyler Shough (2025)
Drafted:2025 second round (No. 40)
Shough – who is 6-foot-5 and 219 pounds – always has NFL scouts' attention through a seven-year college career that stretched from Oregon (2018-20), to Texas Tech (2021-23) to Louisville (2024). He had shoulder, collarbone and ankle injuries with the Red Raiders . Shough settled in with Jeff Brohm at Louisville, where had 3,195 passing yards, 23 TDs and six interceptions. The Saints took the 25-year-old quarterback, and he built on a 5-4 record as a rookie starter in 2025 with strong early-season returns with second-year coach Kellen Moore. New Orleans is a trendy pick to win the NFC South.
Hendon Hooker (2023)
Drafted:2023 third round (No. 68)
Advertisement
Hooker played five seasons between Virginia Tech (2018-20) and Tennessee (2021-22), where he emerged as a prolific quarterback in Josh Heupel's offense with the Vols. Hooker had his best season in 2022, when he led Tennessee to an 11-2 record. He finished with 3,135 passing yards, 27 TDs and two interceptions before suffering a torn ACL against South Carolina. Hooker finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting. He was 25 years old when the Lions drafted him, where he spent two seasons. Hooker is on the Tennessee Titans practice squad.
Carson Beck
Drafted:2026 third round (No. 65)
Beck spent five seasons at Georgia – including two as a starter – but he suffered a torn UCL in the SEC championship game on Dec. 7, 2024. Beck transferred to Miami , where he led the Hurricanes to a 13-3 record and appearance in the College Football Playoff championship game. He had a 37-6 record as a starter between the Bulldogs and Hurricanes. The Cardinals drafted Beck at 24 years old, and he is the backup quarterback behind veteran Jacoby Brissett .
Advertisement
Dillon Gabriel
Drafted:2025 third round (No. 94)
Gabriel followed Nix at Oregon. Gabriel played three seasons at UCF, where he suffered a season ending collarbone injury in 2021. He played two years at Oklahoma and one with the Ducks. He led Oregon to a 13-1 record and finished third in the Heisman voting in 2024. Gabriel was 24 when he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns , and he was 1-5 as a starter as a rookie. Gabriel is behind Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders on the depth chart in 2026.
Other 24-and-older QBs
There also are some notable Day 3 quarterbacks, including a pair of fourth-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Georgia's Stetson Bennett was 25 when he was selected by the Rams , and Purdue's Aidan O'Connell was 24 when he was selected by the Raiders. Both QBs are backups in 2026.
Advertisement
Trinidad Chambliss NFL Draft stock
Where does that leave Chambliss? Will he be considered as a first-round pick if the Rebels continue on a College Football Playoff path?
Manning recognizes that Chambliss' age and size have been talking points for those projecting where the Rebels quarterback would fall in the 2027 NFL Draft. Manning does not know where Chambliss will fall.
"I'm not really good at projecting at that," Manning said. "Trinidad is having a fantastic college career. He's been a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy. I can tell you he is a first-rate, top-notch kid."
Advertisement
Manning – who pointed out Shough's success at New Orleans – did say that Chambliss'' age should not be a factor in that draft stock.
"I don't think age is a big deal, but they'll run everything across the coals," Manning said. "I'm not crazy about it. He's really a great kid."
MORE: The night was all about Lane, until Trinidad stole the spotlight
NFL Draft QBs: 24-and-older since 2020
Here is a look at the 21 QBs who were 24 or older when they were selected in the NFL Draft since 2020:
| YEAR |
QB |
TEAM |
SCHOOL |
AGE |
PICK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |
Jaguars |
Oregon State |
24 |
6th (189) |
|
| 2022 |
South Dakota State |
24 |
7th (241) |
||
| 2022 |
Skylar Thompson |
Dolphins |
Kansas State |
24 |
7th (247) |
| 2023 |
Hendon Hooker |
Lions |
Tennessee |
25 |
3rd (68) |
| 2023 |
Saints |
Fresno State |
24 |
4th (127) |
|
| 2023 |
Stetson Bennett |
Rams |
Georgia |
25 |
4th (128) |
| 2023 |
Aidan O'Connell |
Raiders |
Purdue |
24 |
4th (135) |
| 2023 |
Cardinals |
24 |
5th (139) |
||
| 2023 |
Penn State |
24 |
5th (149) |
||
| 2023 |
Vikings |
Brigham Young |
25 |
5th (164) |
|
| 2024 |
Michael Penix |
Falcons |
Washington |
24 |
1st (8) |
| 2024 |
Bo Nix |
Broncos |
Oregon |
24 |
1st (12) |
| 2024 |
Patriots |
Tennessee |
24 |
6th (193) |
|
| 2024 |
Ravens |
Kentucky |
24 |
6th (218) |
|
| 2025 |
Tyler Shough |
Saints |
Louisville |
25 |
2nd (40) |
| 2025 |
Dillon Gabriel |
Browns |
Oregon |
24 |
3rd (94) |
| 2025 |
Texans |
Florida |
24 |
6th (197) |
|
| 2025 |
49ers |
Indiana |
24 |
7th (227) |
|
| 2026 |
Carson Beck |
Cardinals |
Miami (FL) |
24 |
3rd (65th) |
| 2026 |
Patriots |
Texas Tech |
24 |
7th (234) |
|
| 2026 |
Chiefs |
Louisiana State |
24 |
7th (249) |
