The past year has been rough for the Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss as he fought for another year of eligibility. While the 2026 season is yet to kick off, Chambliss already got some good news. 

The Maxwell Football Club announced its watch list for the 90th Maxwell Award on Monday, August 3. Chambliss made it to the list. 

“A semifinalist for the Maxwell Award last season, Chambliss ranks among the top returning quarterbacks in the nation,” reported the Ole Miss official website. 

The announcement on the Ole Miss Sports website came after Chambliss played just one season in college football and hit the 3,000-yard mark in his debut year. Last year, the quarterback racked up 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns. He added 527 yards and eight scores on the ground.

Chambliss qualified for the award that is presented annually to the most outstanding offensive player in college football. 

Besides the courtroom battle with the NCAA, Chambliss had gained attention for what he put up on the gridiron. 

Against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl, Chambliss went 30-for-46 for 362 yards and two touchdowns. However, his biggest impact came from his ability to avoid pressure and create extra time in the pocket. 

He completed 13 passes in a row during the second half, becoming the first quarterback to complete at least 12 straight passes against an AP top-five opponent since Gunner Stockton achieved the same feat against Ole Miss last October.

The quarterback already has been the 2025 SEC Newcomer of the Year and 2025 Walter Camp Player of the Year Award semifinalist. As he receives another honor, he joins his teammate running back Kewan Lacy, who also got selected on the Maxwell Award Watch List. 

“I think it’s awesome. I’m nothing without Kewan. He’s my partner in crime. If he wins it, I’m hyped up,” Chambliss said at SEC Media Days.

Semifinalists will be announced on November 10, and the three finalists will be named on November 24. The winner of the 2026 Maxwell Award will be announced during ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 10.

Meanwhile, even though the 2026 season is yet to start, an analyst can already foresee Chambliss excelling in the next big step. 

Trinidad Chambliss now has both Heisman and first-round momentum 

Chambliss is set to enter the 2027 NFL Draft after securing a sixth year of college eligibility. He is already a frontrunner for this year’s Heisman campaign, after he finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2025.

Last season, he averaged 298 passing yards, 39 rushing yards, and 2.3 touchdowns in each start. He now has a full offseason of working with the starters and an offense built to suit him.

However, analyst Mel Kiper Jr. is already expecting big things about Chambliss after his college football chapter ends. 

“And I remember texting an NFL GM during the season,” Kiper recalled on the August 3 episode of the NFL on ESPN podcast. “I said, where do you think Trinidad, because I was thinking maybe first round. He said, no, not first round, but, you know, we’re down the line, day two. So that was after last year.”

However, over the past year, a lot of things have shifted. In 2025, the quarterback led the Rebels to two playoff wins.

So, in case he replicates the same success this season, he will be in the first-round pick conversation. 

Do you think Chambliss will achieve greater success in 2026? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at Quarter Back Central.

Written by

Soheli Tarafdar

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar