Ole Miss is coming off one of the best seasons in school history, the kind of year people remember for a long time.
Thirteen wins. A trip to the College Football Playoff. A near upset of Miami in the semifinals. And yet, if you look around at the preseason chatter, you won’t find many “experts” lining up to say the Rebels are about to do it again.
That doesn’t bother Trinidad Chambliss one bit.
Chambliss spent part of his week in serving as a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy. It’s a setting built for quarterback talk, and he didn’t shy away from the bigger picture when reporters asked what he sees for Ole Miss in 2026.
Trinidad Chambliss showing off the arm at the Manning Passing Academy 🔥 pic.twitter.com/PXi9uibg09
— The Verdin Verdict (@verdinverdict) June 27, 2026
“I feel like a lot of people always discredit Ole Miss,” Chambliss said. “And kind of look at them as underrated, or not appreciated as much as how they should be. We just went to the national semifinals, and that was a great accomplishment. We obviously want to make it to the national championship.
“That’s the goal at Ole Miss. We’re trying to compete for a national title year in and year out.”
That’s not exactly the tone of someone who’s worried about preseason lists or summer predictions. Chambliss has lived through enough chaos the past two years that outside noise probably feels like the easiest thing he’s had to deal with. He went from Division II to the SEC, from backup to star, from ineligible to reinstated. He’s earned the right to feel grounded.
And he made it clear he sees the skepticism, even if he doesn’t care much about it.
“We’re used to it. People are not going to count us in or (Ole Miss will) be underrated, so it’s all good,” Chambliss said.
It’s hard to argue with the confidence.
I had a chance to ask Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss a few questions on his journey to becoming one of the top quarterbacks in nation today at @mpa_info He started at D-II Ferris State before leading Ole Miss to CFP semifinals last year. Great comments for young ballers. pic.twitter.com/8hGSguOwXj
— Chris Singleton (@courierchris) June 27, 2026
Chambliss was the engine of last year’s run, throwing for 3,937 yards, 22 touchdowns and only three interceptions. He completed more than 66 percent of his passes and posted a 155.4 rating while guiding Ole Miss through wins over Tulane and Georgia in the Playoff.
He didn’t just steady the offense. He elevated it. But the national conversation hasn’t caught up.
Most preseason projections have Ole Miss outside the top tier, tucked behind the usual suspects. Maybe that’s fair. Maybe it’s lazy. Either way, Chambliss doesn’t seem interested in debating it.
He’s focused on the one thing that actually matters: getting back to the stage Ole Miss reached last year, and then taking the next step.
The Rebels aren’t being picked to repeat 13 wins. They aren’t being picked to return to the CFP. They aren’t being picked to win the SEC. Chambliss knows all of that. He also knows what this team did last season, and what it still has left.
If Ole Miss ends up proving people wrong again, it won’t be because the predictions changed. It’ll be because Chambliss never cared about them in the first place.
