NCAA appealing ruling granting Ole Miss QB Chambliss a 6th year

The NCAA is appealing a preliminary injunction that was granted by a state court in Mississippi ole miss quarterback trinidad chamblis This paved the way for him to be eligible for a sixth college season in 2026.

In a filing with the Mississippi Supreme Court on Thursday, the NCAA is appealing the injunction, claiming the organization has “the authority to make the final decision in the interpretation and application of its eligibility rules.”

In a 658-page filing Thursday, the NCAA argues it should receive an interim appeal — an appeal of a non-final order — because the injunction subjects the NCAA to “substantial and irreparable harm.”

According to the filing, the NCAA argues that the Chambliss decision cuts to the core of fair play: “The NCAA is charged with supporting its member institutions and enforcing the rules they adopt. Uniform enforcement of eligibility rules is necessary to ensure a level playing field among all competitors and to provide opportunities for incoming student-athletes.

“If courts can intervene in NCAA eligibility decisions to provide special treatment to favored athletes, the NCAA’s ability to ensure fair athletic competition in which all participants play by the same rules will depend on the willingness of trial courts throughout the country.”

The NCAA’s appeal, which was expected and not unprecedented, will overshadow the Ole Miss football and college football seasons at large this fall. Chambliss will be one of the game’s most prominent players, and his February injunction granted by a local judge was seen as a key moment shaping the SEC race in 2026.

Chambliss wins SEC Newcomer of the Year award in 2025 after transferring from Division II ferris stateEmerging from obscurity to emerge as one of sports’ most unexpected stories of the year.

The NCAA declined further comment, allowing the lawsuit an opportunity to make its case.

Tom Mars, one of Chambliss’s attorneys, told ESPN: “Everyone remembers when the NCAA famously appealed to the Supreme Court in the Alston case and the justices bared their teeth. [Brett]Kavanaugh. “I hope the NCAA is flattered by this appeal as well.”

In February, Judge Robert Whitwell in Lafayette County Chancery Court at the Calhoun County Courthouse in rural Pittsboro, Mississippi, ruled in Chambliss’ favor in a decision that took more than 90 minutes to read.

Whitwell determined that the NCAA ignored medical documentation that showed Chambliss was not medically ready to play in his second season at Ferris State. Chambliss did not play or dress for any games that season, and his appeal to the NCAA, which was rejected by the organization, was for a medical redshirt for that year.

The NCAA argued that Chambliss’s medical records showed that he had decided to have surgery that year in order to participate in the football season.

In the petition filed with the Mississippi Supreme Court on Thursday, the NCAA’s main argument focuses on precedent set by the Mississippi Supreme Court involving eligibility decisions involving state high school associations.

The NCAA established the Mississippi High School Activities Association Inc. Cited a 2015 decision in the case vs. Hattiesburg High School. That case involved a girls basketball player who sought an injunction against a 2011 MHSAA decision that determined she was ineligible to compete.

The MHSAA declared her ineligible because she transferred to Hattiesburg High less than 60 days before the start of the school year, and thus was not in accordance with its rules.

While the local Forrest County Chancery Court (where Hattiesburg is located) initially granted injunctive relief, the state Supreme Court later ruled in favor of the high school athletic association, stating that such decisions did not fall within the scope of state courts because the MHSAA was a voluntary organization, not a government body.

The Supreme Court stated that “There is no right – statutory or otherwise – which authorizes an appeal from the authority of the decisions of a voluntary, private organization.” As in, “We…found that there is no right of appeal from MHSAA decisions.”

In this case, the NCAA is arguing that it is similar to a state high school association and thus the Chancery Court did not have the authority to adjudicate in the NCAA’s eligibility decision on Chambliss.