'Face of College Football': Kirk Herbstreit Places Massive Label on Trinidad Chambliss
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There's a new face of college football, according to ESPN analyst and long-time member of the College Gameday team Kirk Herbstreit, and it's not a quarterback with a historic last name or even a former five-star ranking. Rather, it's a quarterback who arguably owns the best story in college football.
During a recent appearance on the Andy & Ari Show with Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman, Herbstreit said he believes that Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is the new face of the sport.
"Like Trinidad Chambliss, to me, he I think is going to be the face of college football this year," Herbstreit said. "I think I think he's as good as the sport has to offer at that position."
The Face of College Football?
A potentially surprising answer to some, considering the debate between Chambliss and Texas's Arch Manning as the top returning quarterback in the SEC this season. Yet, even without a consensus on that, Chambliss holds a very strong case for being college football's new face.
For starters, there is the story behind his rise, which only adds to his star power. Chambliss isn't the former highly-touted recruit who was expected to lead an SEC program. Nor was he a three-star who has developed into a starter.
Chambliss owns an even more "rags-to-riches" story, after starting his career at the Division II level as the quarterback at Ferris State. He led them to a national championship and then transferred to Ole Miss, where he was expected to be no more than a backup to the former highly rated Austin Simmons.
Then the story begins. Simmons gets hurt, giving way to the rise of Chambliss as the long-term starter. He leads Ole Miss to its best regular season in several decades at 11-1.
He finished inside the top-10 for the Heisman Trophy, and then proceeded to have them within a few plays of appearing in the national championship game. This saw the Rebels defeat Tulane in the first round of the College Football Playoff, then avenge their lone regular-season loss to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
All the while, the Rebels and Chambliss didn't have their head coach, following Lane Kiffin's departure for LSU.
Now, following a successful court case against the NCAA, Chambliss is back for a final season. One in which he leads a returning core group of players looking to build off last year's playoff run.
"That guy's a stud, and the way he does it too," Herbstreit said. "I mean, I love his story too."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/olemiss as 'Face of College Football': Kirk Herbstreit Places Massive Label on Trinidad Chambliss.
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