On Thursday night, the Ole Miss Rebels saw their College Football Playoff run come to an end with a 31-27 loss to the Miami Hurricanes at the Fiesta Bowl.

Despite the loss, Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss turned heads with a standout performance, continuing his red-hot run in recent games under the national spotlight. Across three games in the CFP, Chambliss completed 76 of 112 passes (67.9%) for 921 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions, adding two rushing touchdowns.

Chambliss has quickly become a hot name in the NFL draft community, with many dedicated draft analysts, such as PFF’s Trevor Sikkema, suggesting that Chambliss should seize the opportunity to join a 2026 quarterback class that is perceived as relatively weak.

The New York Jets, who hold four of the first 45 picks in the 2026 NFL draft, need a franchise quarterback as much as anybody. So, Chambliss’ future is a storyline to watch for Jets fans.

Could the Jets draft Trinidad Chambliss in 2026?

On Jan. 5, three days before the Fiesta Bowl, Chambliss announced his intention to return to Ole Miss in 2026 via an Instagram post. The same day, ESPN reported that Chambliss agreed with Ole Miss on a deal to return.

However, Chambliss’ future isn’t settled just yet.

Chambliss, 23, just concluded his fifth season as a college football player. He spent his first four years of eligibility at D-II Ferris State before transferring to Ole Miss in 2025.

On Nov. 16, Ole Miss filed a medical redshirt waiver for him to receive a sixth year of eligibility, according to ESPN. While Chambliss has yet to receive a definitive answer from the NCAA, it gave a verbal denial for the waiver in December.

In a letter to the NCAA, Chambliss’ lawyer, Tom Mars, stated on the quarterback’s behalf that the signal-caller would “suffer irreparable harm” if the NCAA does not grant him the waiver.

Chambliss’ case is built around the request for a medical redshirt year from his sophomore season at Ferris State. The quarterback supplied 91 pages of medical documents that showed he was battling a respiratory issue. Chambliss tabbed Mars to aid the case. Per ESPN, the NCAA “is seeking contemporaneous notes that detail his care.”

A timeline for a resolution remains unknown. Mars expressed his frustration with the slow pace of the case when speaking to ESPN on Tuesday.

“It’s been more than seven weeks since Ole Miss provided the NCAA with all the information they needed to make a decision,” he said. “If the NCAA believes its bylaws clearly required more than what was provided, or that the information wasn’t sufficient to justify a waiver, one has to wonder why they still haven’t made a decision.”

Chambliss admitted minor frustration with the case, but remained focused on his upcoming game when asked about the situation on Tuesday.

“It has been a little frustrating, but I can’t let that overtake what my mindset is right now, and that’s to win a football game and beat Miami. So, I would say I’m a little frustrated, but I can’t let that take over me.”

After the Rebels’ playoff loss to Miami, Chambliss once again expressed his intention to return, stating, “It’s been a great ride. Hopefully I get to do it next year.”

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound quarterback completed 66.1% of his passes for 3,937 yards, 22 touchdowns, and three interceptions in 15 games for the Rebels, adding eight rushing touchdowns and 585 rushing yards.

Some prognosticators believe that Chambliss could be a day two pick in the 2026 NFL draft if he were to declare.

The Jets have two second-round picks, currently slotted at Nos. 33 and 45. If they elect not to take a quarterback with one of their two first-round picks (Nos. 2 and 18), Chambliss could be a target for the Jets in the second round.

New York is still waiting for official draft declarations from some of the projected top quarterback prospects in the 2026 class. Alabama’s Ty Simpson has declared, but we have yet to receive official word on Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore, who will compete head-to-head in tonight’s Peach Bowl.

The more quarterback options available for the Jets, the merrier. Chambliss’ situation is worth monitoring for Jets fans.

UPDATE (2:05 p.m. EST):

According to ESPN college football writer Pete Thamel, the NCAA has denied Chambliss a sixth year of eligibility. The decision can be appealed by Ole Miss.