Chambliss, Ole Miss use CFP spotlight to plead case to NCAA

No. 6 Ole Miss is in Arizona for Thursday’s College Football Playoff semifinal game against No. 10 Miami. With the game less than 48 hours away, the spotlight is shining brightly on the Rebels.

Ole Miss is taking advantage of the spotlight by campaigning for the NCAA to hurry and grant quarterback Trinidad Chambliss another year of eligibility. Or deny it. At this point, Chambliss and Ole Miss just want a decision.

“It’s been more than seven weeks since Ole Miss provided the NCAA with all the information they needed to make a decision,” Chambliss’ attorney Tom Mars said to ESPN. “If the NCAA believes its bylaws clearly required more than what was provided, or that the information wasn’t sufficient to justify a waiver, one has to wonder why they still haven’t made a decision.”

Nobody knows when a decision will be rendered. Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter repeated what’s been said for weeks now.

“I hate to say the answer is probably still it should be any day,” Carter said of a timeline. “The NCAA shut down basically for about 10 days over the Christmas break. They opened back up this past Friday. Our thoughts were that they probably got back in the office really yesterday and probably sat down and started to look at this again.”

Chambliss has also started to publicly plead his case for another year of eligibility.

“I would just say we have evidence and we have an actual reasoning,” Chambliss said. “There’s some kids that don’t have a reasoning on why they should get another year. And I mean, I have an actual case.

“It’s legit, and I hope that they can find whatever in their hearts or in their minds that they can see that and see that I’m a great guy. I’m all for college football and I feel like this year has proven that I’m good for college football and I think that I should deserve another year.”

It’s widely known now that Chambliss and Ole Miss already have a deal in place for him to return to the Rebels next season. It’s a deal worth a lot more than what most NFL rookies make.

“It would mean a lot,” he said. “Not everything is about money, but that sure does help. And for me to be in the position that I’m right now, all the hard work and sacrifice that I put in to get to where I am right now, I feel like I’ve earned that. And I feel like with the waiver being approved, I’ve earned the right to have the success or whatever comes with it. And that if it’s NIL or any other things, then so be it.”