On Feb. 12, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss received an injunction from a state court judge in Mississippi, granting the SEC Newcomer of the Year a sixth season of eligibility. During an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum tore into the NCAA for the way it handled Chambliss’ request for an additional year of eligibility.

“It went the right way because the NCAA was shown to be completely fraudulent and biased in this courtroom,” Finebaum said. “I know a lot of people will say, ‘Well, it was a hometown court.’ It doesn’t matter to me if the judge was dressed in an Eli Manning jersey and kept saying ‘Hotty Toddy’ every time he hit the gavel — it was the right ruling based on what the facts of the case were.

“Why the NCAA was so arrogant and haughty and simply wrong in the way they handled it, I’ll never know. Because — I guess I do know, because they have gotten away with such activity for so long and being strong-armed. And, this time, they finally got called on it.”

The NCAA denied Chambliss’ eligibility appeal and his reconsideration. Nonetheless, Chambliss ultimately had the last laugh and, as of this report, is eligible for the 2026 campaign.

Chambliss transferred to Ole Miss ahead of the 2025 season after spending four years at Division II program Ferris State. Chambliss began the season at Ole Miss as a backup, but took over starting duties in Week 3 after Austin Simmons suffered an injury.

Chambliss had a breakout season and led the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinals. Though Chambliss spent four seasons at Ferris State, he only played in two of them.

He redshirted in 2021 after seeing no action. He didn’t make any appearances in the 2022 campaign, either. Chambliss sought a medical redshirt for that season, claiming he battled respiratory issues, which ultimately led to the removal of his tonsils.

Paul Finebaum believes the state court judge made the correct decision. Moreover, he knows Ole Miss in a much better position today than they were only a week ago.

“I don’t think this case really will impact anything else, but it was the right call. On top of that, it’s a significant moment for the Ole Miss Rebels because they are a much better team today with Trinidad Chambliss,” Finebaum said.