(Photo credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images)

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss plans to stick around for another year if the NCAA grants his appeal for eligibility in 2026.

That's a potential early win for new coach Pete Golding and the Rebels as they kick off the New Year this week in the College Football Playoff semifinals against Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.

Chambliss began the 2025 season as a backup to Austin Simmons but was inserted as the starter in September and went 11-1, lifting Ole Miss over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl last week with a season-best 362 yards and two touchdown passes. He also has eight rushing touchdowns and gained 520 yards on the ground this season.

Chambliss said the NCAA hasn't provided a formal response to his petition for another college season.

'I've got people working on it. I'm not the one that's working on it,' he said after the Sugar Bowl win. 'My job right now is to focus on football and to focus on this team and to focus on being 1-0 in the next game.'

According to Yahoo Sports, the agreement in place to return to Ole Miss is contingent on the NCAA granting his request for eligibility next season. But timing could become a pressure point on both sides. Postseason all-star games take place later this month and February puts draft prospects into overdrive with the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis leading into on-campus pro days.

Simmons entered the transfer portal with a 'no contact' tag blocking schools from reaching out and is reportedly planning to join Missouri.

Chambliss played four seasons at Division II Ferris State, which includes a redshirt year in 2021 and a national title in 2024.

The appeal for a sixth year of eligibility loosely follows the precedent set in the case of Heisman Trophy finalist Diego Pavia at Vanderbilt. Pavia played a sixth year because of a temporary injunction that permitted him to be on the field in 2025.

When Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss to take the LSU job in November, speculation stirred over Chambliss becoming a primary portal target. But last week Chambliss said he had no direct contact with Kiffin since his departure.

--Field Level Media