This upcoming Thursday could be one of the most important days of the 2026 offseason for Ole Miss.
At around 9:30 a.m. at the Calhoun County Courthouse, a preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled between Trinidad Chambliss and the NCAA.
That’ll be the hearing that determines if Chambliss will be the Rebels’ starting quarterback next season. If an injunction is granted that allows Chambliss to join the program as the lawsuit works its way through the court system, he’ll be a Rebel in 2026.
If it’s not granted, he’ll be on an NFL team.
That’s what makes Thursday so important and why Ole Miss is continuing to provide ammunition for its legal arguments. The latest came Friday when Chambliss’ attorney, William Liston, filed an affidavit from Ole Miss general manager Austin Thomas and senior associated athletics director for compliance Taylor Hall.
Trinidad Chambliss’ attorneys filed a response today in the Chambliss vs NCAA case. The filing claims that Chambliss’s case was “neither manufactured nor contrived.” It stresses that they’ll be no grand harm to the college sports industry if Chambliss gets a sixth year. pic.twitter.com/lQZW7EGJcv
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 8, 2026
The affidavits of Thomas and Hall support the case being made by attorney Tom Mars and Liston, who argue Chambliss did not compete during the 2022 season and should therefore retain a season of eligibility at the Division I level.
Hall’s affidavit includes letters from Ferris State head coach Tony Annese and senior associate athletic director Sara Higley. In her letter, Higley disputes NCAA records that list Chambliss as having played in two games that season. She writes that Ferris State’s internal documentation shows no evidence Chambliss dressed, traveled, or participated in any contest while he was dealing with a significant illness.
“According to NCAA stats, Trinidad Chambliss played in 2 games in 2022. We have reviewed travel logs, excused absence forms, and watched game film. We can attest that Trinidad did not dress for or compete in any games in 2022,” Higley wrote.
Higley also noted that Ferris State used the compliance software JumpForward during the 2022 season but later transitioned to a different system, Spry. Because of that switch, the school no longer has access to its 2022 CARA logs. She said Ferris State has contacted JumpForward to retrieve those records at the NCAA’s request but has not yet received a response.
Annese’s letter echoes Higley’s account. He states that Chambliss did not appear in any games and did not suit up at any point during the 2022 season. Annese added that he was not responsible for maintaining CARA logs at the time, delegating that duty to an assistant coach who is no longer with the program.
The letters directly challenge the NCAA’s position that Chambliss declined surgery and pursued an alternative treatment that would have allowed him to participate in 2022 while remaining active in practices. Mars and Liston argue that the documentation from Ferris State contradicts that claim and supports Chambliss’ request for an additional season.
