Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss isn’t done fighting the NCAA. He’s won the right to play the 2026 season, but the struggle seems to have cost him some good money. While the NCAA is planning to bring Chambliss back down by taking this battle to the Supreme Court, Chambliss has fired back at the organization with more legal trouble.

The Rebels QB has amended his lawsuit against the NCAA, claiming that the decision to deny him eligibility for the 2026 season and the continued resistance against him cost him an NIL deal with EA College Football 27. But since there was a possibility of him not returning, EA Sports backed off. The company said they did so because they “couldn’t stomach the risk” of Chambliss not being granted a preliminary injunction. As a result, the QB is now seeking compensation for this loss. And if there is evidence of the NCAA acting with ill will against Chambliss, his team will also add on punitive damages.

Getting on the cover of EA College Football would have been a huge honor for Trinidad Chambliss. According to 247Sports, he was one of three candidates expected to be on the cover. Unlike the players who have featured on it before, Chambliss stood out because of his journey to stardom. Chambliss was a nobody in Division I football when he transferred to Ole Miss. Had Austin Simmons not been injured in the Week 2 game last season, Chambliss would not have gotten his chance to be the phenom he was. His lawsuit argued that he would have “enjoyed heightened notoriety” if he were on the cover.

Ole Miss Rebels approached the NCAA multiple times seeking a waiver that would grant Trinidad Chambliss an extra year of eligibility. Each request, however, was denied. Chambliss believes he has only played three worthwhile seasons, which is why he should be eligible for a fourth year on the field. He redshirted at Ferris State Bulldogs football in 2021. Chambliss later pursued a medical redshirt for the 2022 season, citing health issues that prevented him from competing.

The NCAA held firm that Chambliss had already used his four seasons of eligibility. After the QB took the NCAA to the Calhoun County Court, Judge Robert Whitwell ruled that the organization had not fairly considered the waiver request. He ultimately granted the quarterback a preliminary injunction. As the NCAA plans to spoil this joy for Trinidad Chambliss, his attorney put them on notice with a strong message.

NCAA stirs Trinidad Chambliss’ pot again

The NCAA is done taking losses in eligibility cases quietly. It has recently seen some wins by denying Alabama basketball player Charles Bedaiko and Tennessee football star Joey Aguilar eligibility. However, Trinidad Chambliss exists in a different league altogether, which is why his lawyer, Tom Mars, cautioned the NCAA in their plans of taking this matter to the Supreme Court.

“Everyone remembers when the NCAA famously appealed to the Supreme Court in the Alston case and got their teeth knocked out by Justice Kavanaugh. I expect the NCAA to be spitting chiclets in this appeal as well.”

The ruling from the 2021 case declared that the NCAA couldn’t keep member schools from awarding academic-related compensation, like post-graduation internships, graduate scholarships, or even computers. Justice Brett Kavanaugh said, “The NCAA is not above the law.” He also went on to say that the business model the NCAA had at the time would be “illegal” in any other industry in America. The Alston case might be the reason why student-athletes are allowed NIL compensation today, even though it had nothing to do with it.

In Trinidad Chambliss’ case, preliminary injunctions are not reviewable since they do not fall under a final ruling. All the NCAA wants is to convince the court to hear an appeal of Chambliss’ order by Whitwell. Decisions from the Mississippi Supreme Court on whether to hear an appeal are usually short and to the point, a simple one-page ruling saying yes or no. 

If the court ultimately declines to move forward with the appeal process, it would be a win for Trinidad Chambliss. The stake is high for both parties since if the case drags past Ole Miss’ season opener against Louisville on Sept. 6, both could face irreparable damage.