Thursday’s slate of College Football Playoff games featured two quarterbacks assumed to be at the top of boards for the 2026 NFL Draft, with a chance for a third to solidify his status as QB3. Fernando Mendoza took care of business as Indiana throttled Alabama, and Dante Moore led Oregon by Texas Tech and their stingy defense.
But did we indeed see QB3 emerge, but in an unexpected fashion?
For weeks Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson has been discussed as the potential third quarterback off the board, with consensus mock drafts linking him to the Pittsburgh Steelers later in the first round. But Simpson struggled against Indiana, and left the game after taking a hard hit in the first half against the Hoosiers
Then came the Sugar Bowl.
After falling down 21-12, Ole Miss stormed back to stun Georgia by a final score of 39-34, winning the rematch between SEC teams. And in that comeback Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss became a household name. The former Division 2 QB took over as the starter early this season, and Thursday night he connected on 30-of-46 passes for 362 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
More than the production, however, was the stage. And how Chambliss led the Rebels back.
Take this throw to Harrison Wallace from early in the fourth quarter:
Flushed from the pocket by Georgia’s relentless pass rush, Chambliss extends to the right and uncorks a rocket, connecting with Wallace deep in Georgia territory. While on the move, Chambliss lets this throw go from the Ole Miss 25-yard line, hitting Wallace in stride and over a defender at the Bulldogs’ 30-yard line.
45 yards, on a rope, in the Sugar Bowl with the season hanging in the balance.
However, that play was only possible because of what Chambliss had done on the previous snap. With Ole Miss facing a 3rd and 7, Chambliss was flushed from the pocket by a trio of Georgia defenders. Somehow he found Kewan Lacy with a bit of improvisational magic, and after taking a big hit Lacy managed to pick up the first down:
Lacy plunged into the end zone from five yards out to give Ole Miss the lead, which they extended with a successful two-point conversation. That play, a connection between Chambliss and Wallace, highlighted a bit of anticipation from the Ole Miss quarterback:
With a free runner in his face, Chambliss lets this pass go before Wallace clears the defender, putting the throw in a perfect spot for the conversion.
Ole Miss forced a fumble on Georgia’s next possession, and a touchdown pass from Chambliss to Wallace gave the Rebels a 34-24 lead. That score came on this perfectly-placed back-shoulder throw:
But the Bulldogs erased that with ten unanswered points of their own, setting the stage for Chambliss to lead a scoring drive in the closing minutes.
Which he did, thanks in large part to his biggest throw of the night:
As the rising octaves from Sean McDonough indicate, this was a game-changing completion. The pass from Chambliss to De’Zhaun Stribling — coming on 3rd and 5 with just over 30 seconds remaining — was enough to put Ole Miss into field goal range for Lucas Carneiro. But an incompletion in this spot, or worse, and Georgia might have had a chance at a thrilling win of their own.
Instead, the Rebels are moving on.
And now the NFL Draft world is starting to wonder about Chambliss’ future.
Take a spin through social media this morning, and you’ll see some of the big names in the NFL Draft world discussing one topic: Chambliss.
Whether Chambliss even enters the draft is a question. While this is his final season of eligibility, he has already applied for a medical waiver seeking one more year, citing respiratory issues back in 2022 while he was at Ferris State. Chambliss did not play any games that season, after redshirting the prior year, as he dealt with persistent respiratory issues. The quarterback eventually underwent surgery to remove his tonsils.
Whether the NCAA grants that request is uncertain, as the NCAA Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement sent feedback on that request in early December, seeking additional information. According to Pete Thamel at ESPN, “[t]he initial feedback from the NCAA’s case manager, delivered to Ole Miss on Dec. 8, indicated that the panel was not inclined to issue the waiver.”
According to Tom Mars, an attorney retained by Chambliss to navigate the waiver process, the waiver should have been granted based on the “irrefutable” evidence.
“I’m baffled why this waiver wasn’t granted back in November just based on the irrefutable, objective evidence,” Mars told ESPN.
“The NCAA is attempting to impose a higher burden of proof on a young man who is without any fault, has satisfied all the requirements of the NCAA rules, and who’s been an outstanding representative of college football — both on and off the field.”
In the reply sent to the NCAA Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, Mars provided “a statement from the ear, nose and throat specialist who treated Chambliss — Dr. Anthony Howard — along with 91 pages of medical records that were submitted to the NCAA. They show an appointment from December 2022, when Chambliss dealt with ‘enlarged tonsils, chronic tonsillitis and adenoiditis and history of infectious mononucleosis.’ There was also a doctor appointment that August, prior to the season, to address these issues.”
As noted in the submission to the NCAA Howard believed that “given the chronicity and documented impact of his symptoms, it is medically reasonable to conclude that chronic tonsillitis and its related complications limited his ability to participate consistently in high-intensity collegiate athletics during the 2022 season. These health issues affected his availability and performance during conditioning, practice, and game preparation. … His chronic tonsillitis represents a medically valid basis for hardship consideration as his condition rendered him incapacitated and unable to participate in the 2022 season.”
It is widely expected that if the waiver is granted, Chambliss will follow Lane Kiffin to LSU, along with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. (who is also leaving Ole Miss to join the Tigers coaching staff for next season).
But if the waiver is not granted, Chambliss will turn his attention to the NFL.
And the league might be ready to welcome him with open arms.
from SB Nation https://ift.tt/xtoeFgV
0 Comments