Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
Let’s get this out of the way right now, I will never cheer for the NCAA to win a case over a student-athlete. We have watched them take advantage of the system they created for decades and do anything but their literal job, which is to serve the well-being of student athletes.
I hope Trinidad Chambliss wins whatever lawsuit he files against the NCAA and plays another year at Ole Miss, if that’s what he wants to do.
But, why would he?
Chambliss is an elite quarterback and one of the best stories in college football this season. He would rank among the top passers in this year’s draft class and, per Mel Kiper, project as a No. 2 or No. 3 quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft.
According to his attorney, Tom Mars, one reason for the lawsuit is that being denied a sixth year of eligibility could cost him an NIL deal worth up to $6 million, more than ten times what he reportedly earned last summer after Ole Miss added him from Ferris State as a depth option behind then-starter Austin Simmons.
In its one-sided, misleading PR statement, the NCCA says Ferris State had “no documentation of [Trinidad’s) medical problems” during “that time frame.” Maybe it used up too many characters doing PR to mention ignoring the physician’s expert opinion AND this additional evidence. https://t.co/OCjr0wpwJ0 pic.twitter.com/BlFVI26A1K
— Tom Mars (@TomMarsLaw) January 13, 2026
That is life changing money. It’s also very difficult for any of us to sit here and say that we would turn that down. For Chambliss though, that life changing money could also be waiting for him in the NFL Draft.
If Chambliss is viewed as the No. 2 or No. 3 quarterback in the class, most mock drafts project him landing at No. 2 overall with the Jets, somewhere between Nos. 2 and 16, or in the 18–20 range with the Steelers. Those selections would carry the following slot-value salaries.
– 1st round arm strength
– 1st round mobility
– 1st round clutch gene
– 1st round aura
– 1st round nameTrinidad Chambliss is a 1st round QB pic.twitter.com/4TS09PO9VF
— Onyx (@OnyxOdds) January 9, 2026
- No. 2 – $52,589,790
- No. 16 – $21,612,716
- No. 20 – $20,143,016
That’s a significant amount of money to walk away from in order to return for a sixth season of college football in 2026. What should he do? There’s no easy answer. What is clear, though, is that few players in the country will have more leverage, or enjoy the decision-making process more, than Trinidad Chambliss.
Just like almost every game he’s ever started in college, he’s likely to win either way.
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