The viability of star Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss playing college football in 2026 is headed to court in Mississippi, according to his lawyer.
Tom Mars told ESPN in a statement Sunday night that he and a noted Mississippi trial lawyer, William Liston, plan to file suit against the NCAA in state court this week for a preliminary injunction that will aim to secure Chambliss' eligibility for 2026. Liston is also the founder and general counsel for The Grove Collective, Ole Miss' collective for the school's athletes.
The NCAA on Friday denied Chambliss, who finished eighth in voting for the Heisman Trophy, a waiver for a sixth year of eligibility.
The NCAA will not comment until any lawsuit is filed. The organization directed ESPN back to its detailed statement from Friday about Chambliss' waiver request. The organization made it clear that sufficient medical documentation was not provided.
Mars told ESPN that he and Liston spent most of the weekend preparing the complaint for a "preliminary and permanent injunction" for Chambliss. Mars had previously called a court in Mississippi a "level playing field."
Mars added on Sunday: "We expect the lawsuit to be far more detailed and documented than other eligibility lawsuits that have been filed in the past year. Therefore, considerable work needs to be done before we'll be prepared to seek an injunction that would allow Trinidad to play next season."
He added that the timeline of the filing would be "toward the end of (this) week."
Chambliss' emergence as one of the 2025 season's defining stars proved one of the most unexpected stories in the sport. Chambliss was essentially brought in from Division II Ferris State to back up projected starter Austin Simmons.
An early injury to Simmons opened the door for Chambliss, who thrived and never relinquished the starting job. He threw for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns, leading the Rebels to the CFP semifinals, where they lost to Miami on Thursday.
Chambliss had already signed with Ole Miss for the 2026 season, which means there's millions of dollars at stake with the court's decision. Chambliss projects near the top of the market for college quarterbacks, as his deal including incentives could reach more than $6 million.
Ole Miss will also appeal Chambliss' case to the NCAA. The organization gave a lengthy rebuttal in its formal rejection of the waiver on Friday.
Along with explanation on the lack of documentation, the denial by the NCAA included this: "This decision aligns with consistent application of NCAA rules. So far this academic year, the NCAA has received 784 clock extension requests (438 in football). Of those, 25 cases cited an incapacitating injury (nine in football). The NCAA approved 15 of those (six in football), and all 15 provided medical documentation from the time of the injury. Conversely, all 10 that were denied (three in football) did not provide the required medical documentation."
