By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
NEW ORLEANS – Well, potential LSU transfer portal target quarterback Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss is only about an hour from Tiger Stadium.
But should he transfer and play for the Tigers in 2026 and new LSU coach Lane Kiffin, who coached him at Ole Miss to a spectacular 2025 regular season, the path will be a circuitous one through Indianapolis and NCAA headquarters first.
Chambliss, 23, is in a disputed “senior” season at Ole Miss after playing just two seasons and two games at Division II Ferris State in Big Rapids, Michigan. He has asked the NCAA to grant him another senior season as he has only played three seasons of eight games or more. He was redshirted in 2021 as a true freshman from Grand Rapids, Michigan, did not play in 2022, partly because of an illness, and believes that season should count as a medical redshirt season.
Then he played in eight games as a backup in 2023 and 12 in 2024 when he led Ferris State to the Division II national title, passing for 2,925 yards and 26 touchdowns and rushing for another 1,019 and 25 TDs. In his third season in 2025, he has Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff. Chambliss is No. 15 in the nation in efficiency this season at 158.8 on 241-of-362 passing for 3,298 yards and 19 TDs with three interceptions.
“I mean, I deserve it,” Chambliss said at the Sugar Bowl Media Day on Tuesday at the Sheraton downtown. “I mean I’ve only played three seasons of college football, and I feel like I deserve to play four.”
No. 3 Ole Miss (12-1) and Chambliss – the No. 3 yardage passer in the SEC – play No. 3 Georgia (12-1) in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday (7 p.m., ESPN) in the Superdome.
“I red-shirted in 2021. That was my freshman redshirt,” Chambliss said. “Then I medical red-shirted in 2022. I played in ’23 and ’24, and this is 2025. So, this is my third year playing college football. So, I feel like I deserve another year.”
Part of Chambliss’ case with the NCAA involves proof of the reason for the medical redshirt in 2022.
“I mean I have records from my Ear, Nose & Throat doctor that I was getting treated for the issue that I had in 2022,” Chambliss said. “We’ve been in communication with Ferris State, doctors and all that. I had chronic tonsilitis. I also had heart palpitations (fluttering, skipped beats) and trouble breathing. My respiratory system wasn’t the best. I got them (tonsils) removed in 2024.”
Chambliss had said in mid-December that he thought he would get a decision from the NCAA at that time, but that didn’t happen. He has since hired noted sports contract attorney Tom Mars.
“He is the best, and some of our coaches made us connect, and we felt like that was the best choice to go with Tom,” he said.
Mars was contacted by Tiger Rag on Monday, but said he could not comment. Chambliss said he feels very good about his chances of getting another season.
“Yeah, definitely. I feel like my case is very strong,” he said. “I don’t see a reason why they should deny it, quite frankly. I mean I have lots of backup to what I’m stating, to what I’m putting in front of them. So it’s just up to the NCAA. It’s not in my control. I have all my faith in Jesus Christ in that.”
The only NCAA Transfer Portal window before the 2026 season opens on Friday and runs through Jan. 16, which is the deadline for players to enter the portal so they can go to a new school.
“I would assume so, that I’ll find out before Jan. 16 for sure, because they do open on Jan. 2,” Chambliss said. “The NCAA is actually closed right now. They open on Jan. 2, so hopefully we’ll hear something then.”
Chambliss said he has had little contact with the NCAA recently.
“Nothing in regards to like, ‘Hey, you’ll hear then,'” he said. “We’ve got feedback from them regarding the waiver, kind of back and forth stuff. But not like, ‘Hey, you’re going to find out here.'”
In the meantime, LSU fans and fans of many schools have been contacting him on social media and on his phone.
“For sure, people text me,” he said. “They DM (direct message) me, so yeah I definitely have heard from fans. A lot of fans are texting me.”
A transfer to LSU would reunite Chambliss with Kiffin and the majority of the Ole Miss offensive staff he played under in the 2025 season and will continue to play under. Six Rebel offensive assistant coaches brought to LSU by Kiffin are coaching Ole Miss in the playoffs – offensive coordinator/play caller Charlie Weis Jr., co-offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Joe Cox, pass game coordinator/receivers coach George McDonald, inside receivers coach Sawyer Jordan, quarterbacks assistant Dane Stevens and running backs coach Kevin Smith.
When asked what he looks for in a quarterback, Weis mentioned Chambliss and Jaxson Dart, who was drafted in the first round out of Ole Miss in 2025 by the New York Giants and is their starter now.
“Number one is leadership – finding a guy who’s the right leader,” Weis said. “In the SEC you’re going to be in some battles, so having a guy that the players want to play for and want to play with is extremely important to me. And those are some traits that I’ve seen with Jackson with Trinidad, and the guys really love their play style and how they play the game. The next thing is just intelligence to handle our system. Having a good football sense and being able to think like us on the same wavelength.”
Weis said Kiffin formed Ole Miss’ offense around Chambliss this season.
“The cool thing about coach (Kiffin) is he’s been able to mold the offense to the quarterback,” he said. “And we’ve had tons of different styles of quarterbacks throughout the course of time. And I think that’s one of the things that makes coach great.”
Weis was an an analyst under Kiffin when Kiffin was Alabama’s offensive coordinator from 2014-16, then he was Kiffin’s offensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic before rejoining him at Ole Miss.
“It’s not a cookie cutter guy that you look for,” he said. “It’s, ‘Hey who’s the best one we have and let’s make an offense that works for him.’ It dates all the way back to when we were at Alabama. We had Jake Coker, who was more of a pro-style guy – under center play action. The next year we had Jalen Hurts, and we totally transformed the system. Did a lot more things that fit his skill set. That’s the cool thing about coach (Kiffin).”
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