There's been no official announcement from Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, but On3 is reporting Trinidad Chambliss will start for the Rebels against 4th ranked LSU on Saturday.
Who is Trinidad Chambliss? He’s one of the biggest surprises in college football this season.
Chambliss led Division II Ferris State, located in Big Rapids, Michigan, to a Division II national championship, the third national title in four years for the Bulldogs.
In 15 starts last season, Chambliss threw for 2,901 yards and 26 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,019 yards and 25 touchdowns. The Michigan native finished third in voting for the 2024 Harlon Hill Trophy, which is awarded annually to the Division II College Football Player of the Year.
Following the season, Chambliss wanted to see what he could do at the Division I level, so he entered the transfer portal.
It looked like he would be heading to Temple as the Owls were ready to give Chambliss the starting job, but Ole Miss needed a back-up quarterback.
They were having trouble finding a QB2, because Austin Simmons was expected to be the starter. Simmons is from Miami and spent the two previous seasons at Ole Miss waiting for his chance to start.
But Chambliss was not deterred and signed with Ole Miss.
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Simmons started the season at quarterback and led the Rebels to a victory over Georgia State, but in the second game, he injured his ankle.
That opened the door for Chambliss to start, and he’s taken full advantage of it by putting up big numbers in victories over Arkansas and Tulane. He threw for 660 yards and three touchdowns in those two games to go along with 174 yards rushing and two TDs.
He ranks seventh nationally in ESPN’s QBR metric.
Kiffin said earlier in the week that Simmons would be the starting quarterback once he’s 100% healthy, but if Chambliss leads the Rebels to a win over the Tigers, Trinidad could be the guy the rest of the way.