College football is great because, even in today’s world, the stars of the sport are constantly changing.
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit has seen a lot of different stars in the sport as one of the top color commentators on television. So, he’s got a finger on the pulse of who the biggest stars in college football are.
And this season, one of the biggest stars resides in Oxford. In an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Herbstreit called Trinidad Chambliss the face of college football.
“I think, by the way, the face of the sport going into the season, as much as people are going to talk about Arch Manning, I really think Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss, him getting that year, it looked like he might not get it, then they went down to Oxford, talked to a judge, and everything got taken care of. He is so refreshing when you get around this guy,” Herbstreit said.
“You guys should have him on the show before the season starts. If you haven’t had him on yet, you’ll instantly fall in love with his personality. I know he’s not a new face, but I think Ole Miss, I think Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin at LSU, that story didn’t quite, that chapter closed for last year, but reopens this season coming up.”
Chambliss has all the makings of someone who could be the face of college football. He plays quarterback for an SEC team that’s coming off a playoff run and is expected to compete for another CFP spot this season. He’s talented. He has a likable personality. He’s a contender for the Heisman.
He checks every box you’d want in some that’s the face of college football.
One person, though, has a different thought about Chambliss being the face of college football.
I need Chambliss to be the face of college football at the end of the year, not now,” Ole Miss coach Pete Golding said after Thursday’s first preseason practice. “It’s time to stop talking. It’s time to get going and put in the work and then it’s time to play the games and win and deserve those praises at the end of the year. I hope ESPN is right about him as face of college football but at end of the year.”
That’s a good way of looking at things. Just like preseason rankings, being the face of college football or Heisman favorite in the preseason doesn’t mean much.
But being the face of college football at the end of the season does. Because, if Chambliss is still called that in January, Ole Miss will be celebrating a national championship.
