The transfer portal dust may have settled, but a few players’ fates are still up in the air. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is still waiting on a waiver from the NCAA. In the same situation, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is rolling out the welcome mat for a Fighting Irish defensive tackle who lucked into a sixth season.

“Jason Onye is getting a sixth season. The NCAA approved his eligibility waiver,” reported On3 analyst Tyler Horka. “This might as well be the equivalent of another transfer portal addition for Notre Dame. The defensive tackle group is deeper and better with Onye in it.”

Joining Onye in the sixth-year club is Rod Moore, Michigan’s two-time All-Big Ten safety and two-time captain, officially cleared by the NCAA.

Standing 6’5” and weighing 302 pounds, Freeman’s defensive tackle received a redshirt waiver for his five-game participation in 2024. After playing the first five games, Onye took a break for a sabbatical, missing the final 11 games of the season. Notably, Freeman stated that his absence was related to mental health issues.

Onye, a product of North Providence, R.I., returned in 2025 and averaged almost 30 defensive snaps over 12 games, which included nine starts. He tallied 26 tackles, 17 quarterback hurries, 1.5 sacks, and a 78.2 grade from Pro Football Focus.

The 2025 season saw Freeman’s defensive tackle at his peak following the loss of a close friend and fellow defensive tackle, Gabriel Rubio, to a season-ending left elbow injury in Game 6 versus NC State on October 11. As a graduate student at Notre Dame, Onye stated in October that he would return for 2026 without hesitation if his appeal were granted.

“I felt so strongly about Notre Dame before,” he said, talking highly of Freeman’s culture in Notre Dame. “Never thought about transferring, never thought about leaving, never thought about any of that. It’s just the fact of it just kind of confirmed my beliefs.”

Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, ex-Irish captain and now director of player development, is one of the key former teammates he said played a role in his return.

Returning for 2026, Onye is expected to start on Freeman’s defensive line, which has been depleted by the departures of Rubio and Jared Dawson due to expired eligibility. Then there was Donovan Hinish, who had medically retired.

Freeman got lucky with Onye returning, but Chambliss is still in the trenches, battling for his NCAA waiver.

Trinidad Chambliss is stuck in limbo after Marcus Freeman’s player secured an NCAA waiver

Chambliss, raised in South Bend and immersed in Notre Dame football, was a fan of Freeman’s program long before he became a quarterback. His coach-father gave him a stuffed Fighting Irish football when he was a baby, and Chambliss later attended Notre Dame camps and games as he grew up. 

Now, as Freeman’s standout lands a sixth-year clearance, Chambliss is left grinding through a waiver battle that’s far from over. The NCAA denied Chambliss’ opportunity to return for the 2026-27 college football season, as reported by On3Sports’ Ross Dellenger on January 16. 

Chambliss fired back the same day. His legal team sued the NCAA and is seeking a preliminary injunction to keep him eligible for the 2026 season. The NCAA slammed the door after Chambliss committed to Ole Miss for 2026, a season that could’ve paid him nearly $5 million. Add Onye’s return to Freeman’s program, and the regret factor spikes.

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However, if the courtroom fight doesn’t go his way, Chambliss could still cash in big. He is projected as a Top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The price tag for it runs from $30 to $55 million.