Why Trinidad Chambliss had emotional reaction to Ole Miss loss vs Miami in Fiesta Bowl
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GLENDALE, AZ — Walking off the field after Ole Miss football’s Fiesta Bowl loss to Miami, quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was visibly emotional.
The Rebels’ (13-2) storybook season ended 31-27 in the CFP semifinals against the Hurricanes (13-2). Chambliss’ Hail Mary on the last play.
Chambliss was comforted by running back Kewan Lacy, but as he walked through the tunnel and headed to the locker room, he walked alone with a towel over his head, covering his face.
Although somber, Chambliss sat down for the postgame press conference and expressed gratitude for all he’s experienced this season in Oxford.
“Just thinking about my brothers, people that have sacrificed so much to be in this position,” Chambliss said. “There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes … and this team has just sacrificed a lot to get to this point. And this season has been bumpy, and there’s a lot of things going on, they just kept our focus. It’s been truly special.”
In just one year Chambliss has gone from a little-known Division II quarterback to SEC star and a household name in Mississippi.
What Trinidad Chambliss said about eligibility waiver
In hopes of getting to play for one more season, Chambliss submitted a waiver to the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility, citing medical complications from chronic tonsilitis that kept him off the field for the 2022 season. He has yet to receive an answer, and as it stands, the Fiesta Bowl could be his last college football game.
“God has been so good to me and this team,” Chambliss said. “It’s been a great ride. I wouldn’t want to do it with any other people, whether it’s coaches, players, people in the offices, and it’s just been a great ride. Hopefully I can do it next year.”
Chambliss took over after Austin Simmons was injured in Week 2. He was the SEC Newcomer of the Year and a second-team All-SEC selection, quarterbacking the Rebels to their first-ever CFP run. Against Miami, he was 23-for-37 on pass attempts for 277 yards and a touchdown.
Offensive lineman Jayden Williams, who spent his entire career at Ole Miss, said Chambliss brought something unique to Oxford.
“I just feel like he brought a different spark that I hadn’t seen for real,” Williams said. “… It just gave me (former Ole Miss QB) Matt Corral vibes my freshman year. It was a whole other level, that same level of offense and excitement that I used to see my freshman year.”
While it’s unclear whether the NCAA will grant him a sixth year of eligibility, Chambliss’ one year at Ole Miss has set a standard that coach Pete Golding believes will be difficult for future Rebels to meet.
“I said from the very beginning, for a guy like that to come to with one year into the SEC, with an offense that was already in place, with a guy that already signed to be the franchise guy, it just showed his confidence in himself,” Golding said. “… For it to work out the way it did for him, I couldn’t be happier. And he’s kind of set a precedent here within one year. It’s going to be pretty hard to match.”
Chambliss will be a 2026 NFL Draft prospect if he doesn’t receiver a waiver to return to Ole Miss.
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss reacts to Fiesta Bowl loss vs Miami
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