NIL

Who is Trinidad Chambliss? How a reluctant D-II transfer took the SEC by storm at Ole Miss

Published

4 days ago

December 21, 2025

The Athletic has live coverage of Tulane vs. Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff first round.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in October and has been updated ahead of Ole Miss’ College Football Playoff game against Tulane.

A few days after leading Ferris State to its third Division II national championship in four years, Tony Annese was on his way to Tampa to watch Michigan practice before the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama.

Annese’s phone rang. It was the family of Trinidad Chambliss, Ferris State’s star quarterback, calling to say Chambliss was receiving offers to enter the transfer portal.

“I was like, ‘Technically speaking, that’s tampering, but maybe you should test the waters,’” Annese said.

Chambliss was reluctant. He’d gone to Ferris State, a Division II power in Big Rapids, Mich., as a 170-pound quarterback recruit with no FBS offers. He waited his turn, backing up two other quarterbacks during the Bulldogs’ championship seasons in 2021 and 2022. The opportunity to play Division I football was a dream, but his heart was at Ferris State.

In late December, Chambliss made up his mind. He was staying.

“January, February passed,” Annese said. “Around March, people were starting to hound him. To me, there’s always a certain level of money that might be life-changing. I just said to him, ‘If people are going to give you a lot of money, maybe you need to see what they’re going to give you and get in the portal.’ And the rest is history.”

Chambliss ended up becoming one of college football’s surprise breakout stars of 2025. After stepping in for the injured Austin Simmons against Arkansas on Sept. 13, he led Ole Miss to an 11-1 record and No. 6 seed in the College Football Playoff, where the Rebels will host Tulane in the first round.

A second-team All-SEC pick who finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy vote, Chambliss passed for 3,016 yards, 18 touchdowns and three interceptions and rushed for 470 yards and six touchdowns in the regular season. Fans in Oxford have taken up the banner by waving flags of Trinidad and Tobago, a dual-island nation in the Caribbean.

Chambliss has become such a phenomenon that a reporter from Trinidad and Tobago joined an October conference call to ask about his connection to the Caribbean. He doesn’t have one — or he didn’t, until recently — but his breakout season has been good for international relations.

“I drive downtown near the square and see some of the flags from the houses and whatnot. It’s just cool,” Chambliss said. “I’m sure a lot of people from Trinidad are wondering why so many flags are being ordered to Oxford, Mississippi.”

🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹@TrinidadChambl1 x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/Ei9npIf7Oo

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 11, 2025

Chambliss said his name was inspired by the Holy Trinity, not by any family connection to the country. Though that’s true, there is another part to the story. His parents, Trent and Cheryl, had an agreement: If their child were a girl, they would go with Cheryl’s preferred name, Trinity. If their child were a boy, Trent would get to choose. Trent liked the connection to the Trinity, and he also happened to be a fan of the boxer Félix Trinidad.

“I kind of took a liking to that name,” Trent Chambliss said. “It does have that spiritual connection, the Holy Trinity. It stood by itself, a pretty strong name. I just figured that was a good fit.”

The name captures a duality that makes Chambliss who he is. He’s grateful for the providential path that took him from playing road games in front of 500 fans to beating LSU in front of nearly 68,000 in Oxford, plus millions watching on TV. He’s also a fighter who can punch above his weight class.

“Fate kind of gave him an opportunity,” said Eddie Ostipow, who coached Chambliss at Forest Hills Northern High School in Grand Rapids. “We all know how talented he is. He’s gotten an opportunity and really ran with it.”

Chambliss was entering his junior season when Ostipow got the job at Forest Hills Northern. He’d shared time at quarterback the previous season but was known mostly for his exploits on the basketball court, where he was a star point guard.

The perception at the time was that Chambliss would play basketball in college. He grew up attending basketball camps and playing in tournaments around the country, which meant he didn’t get as much exposure as a football recruit. When he got the chance to be a full-time quarterback, he flourished. He had a natural throwing motion and easy mechanics, Ostipow said, but his best trait was the vision to anticipate plays that other quarterbacks couldn’t see.

“As a quarterback, you have to distribute the ball, find zones in the defense, find matchups and take your matchups with wide receivers throwing down the field,” Chambliss said. “In basketball, as a point guard, that’s basically the same thing.”

Ostipow saw Chambliss as a Division I prospect, but the nearby Mid-American Conference programs didn’t see him the same way. At 6 feet and 170 pounds, he didn’t have the size that bigger schools wanted in a point guard or a quarterback. But he was a perfect fit for Ferris State, a program known for developing athletic quarterbacks.

Annese, 64, has a 152-21 record in 13 seasons at Ferris State, including a 15-0 mark this year with a spot in the D-II national title game on Saturday. He’s made a Hall of Fame career out of developing overlooked recruits, including Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler, a seventh-round pick in 2018 who signed a $64 million contract extension in August.

It speaks to the depth at Ferris State that Chambliss, a player torching SEC defenses, didn’t become a full-time starter until his fourth year on a D-II campus. The Bulldogs had other quarterbacks in front of him, and he needed time to add about 30 pounds to fill out his point guard’s frame. When he got his chance to start in 2024, he exploded for 51 touchdowns, nearly 3,000 passing yards and more than 1,000 yards on the ground while leading Ferris State to a 14-1 season.

Chambliss also caught the eye of quarterback-hungry teams in the FBS. He wasn’t looking to leave Ferris State, but name, image and likeness offers were difficult to ignore.

“It’s every child’s dream to be able to play at the Division I level,” said Trent Chambliss, an assistant principal at Wyoming High School near Grand Rapids. “With NIL, you end up having that dangling carrot, a large sum of money. It kind of moves people. You’ve got to be strong enough to not move on the emotional charge that you may get.”

Chambliss initially decided not to enter the transfer portal and spent the spring at Ferris State. When programs started calling him again in March, he decided he owed it to himself and his family to listen. Annese gave his blessing and apprised him of the risks and benefits of transferring.

Trinidad Chambliss led Ferris State to the D-II national title last year. (Adam Vander Kooy / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Transferring to a bigger school could mean exposure and development for the NFL, along with the not-insignificant money available through NIL and revenue sharing. Though the amount Chambliss is being paid is undisclosed, CBS Sports reported that Chambliss’ deal with Ole Miss is believed to be more than $500,000, a number The Athletic confirmed with a person familiar with his transfer recruitment.

This risk of leaving was that Chambliss would be giving up a chance at the Harlon Hill Trophy, the Heisman of Division II, with no guarantees of seeing the field. When Chambliss visited Ole Miss, coaches made it clear that he’d be coming in behind Simmons, a four-star recruit who was the Rebels’ backup quarterback last season behind New York Giants rookie Jaxson Dart. Chambliss decided to bet on himself, knowing there was a chance he wouldn’t see the field.

“There’s a risk that you don’t get enough playing time to be seen by the NFL,” Annese said. “That was my concern for him. If Austin Simmons didn’t get hurt, how was it going to be?”

Ferris State lost eight starters from last year’s team who transferred to Division I programs. The list includes Bryce George and Lawrence Hattar, reserve offensive linemen at Iowa and Michigan, respectively, and running back Kannon Katzer, who has yet to record a carry at West Virginia.

Annese said he’s happy for the transfers who have carved out roles and sad for the ones who aren’t playing. Heading into the season, it wasn’t clear which category would apply to Chambliss. Even with Chambliss throwing for more than 300 yards in wins against Arkansas, Tulane and LSU, there was a question of what Ole Miss would do once Simmons got healthy.

That question took on more weight after the Rebels had a close call against Washington State in a 24-21 win. Chambliss threw for 209 yards but struggled to get the offense in gear, prompting a blunt pep talk from coach Lane Kiffin.

“Let’s not go back to that Division II stuff,” Kiffin told him, as he recounted to ESPN at halftime.

“Let’s not go back to that Division II stuff”

Lane Kiffin was very honest with Trinidad Chambliss after his first few drives of the game 😅 pic.twitter.com/9KmW7UvaMl

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 11, 2025

But Chambliss held on to the job as he became a viral sensation. The legend will only grow if he takes Ole Miss on a Playoff run after Kiffin’s departure for LSU.

The decision to leave Ferris State wasn’t easy, but it’s earned Chambliss a fan following that stretches from West Michigan to Oxford, Miss. — and even as far as the Caribbean.

“I get so many texts and calls from back home from my friends, people I’ve grown up with, people that supported me before I even got to Ole Miss,” Chambliss said. “It’s just good to have a community behind you while you’re chasing one of your dreams.”

— The Athletic’s Sam Khan Jr. contributed to this report.

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NIL

The College Football Playoff Is Mostly About Who Spent the Most

Published

22 minutes ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The winter holidays mark a time of joy and celebration for some, but are more defined by anxiety for others. Amid college football’s annual holiday-season tradition of bowls games, the sport’s shift from the long-held postseason customs to an expanded playoff heightens anxiety.

Regardless if one falls in the category of joyful reveler or cantankerous Scrooge, consumerism plays a critical role in the season. College football is no different, with the recent advent of NIL becoming a foundational element of the game evident in the remaining Playoff field.

As the bracket whittled down from 12 to eight with last weekend’s opening-round games, the College Football Playoff demonstrated an exercise comparable to Eddie Murphy’s monologue about Christmastime spending in the seasonal classic Trading Places: “I ain’t gonna have money to buy my son the G.I. Joe with the kung-fu grip, and my wife ain’t going to make love to me ‘cause I got no money.”

Well, reaching the Playoff and advancing are similar. The eight quarterfinalists stand as testament to spending power — though it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how much, which contributes to rising anxieties.

A CBS Sports article ahead of the 1st Round broke down the tournament into NIL-spending tiers, with five of the 12 labeled “elite spenders.” Four of those play on in the round of eight: reigning national champion Ohio State, Oregon, Texas Tech and Miami, which outlasted fellow elite spender Texas A&M in what was perhaps uncoincidentally the most competitive of the four opening-round games.

James Madison and Tulane were both routed against deep-pocketed opponents in Oregon and Ole Miss, which isn’t necessarily a data point worth applying to any NIL discussion. Athletic departments with more funds through television revenue, merchandising, etc. have long had advantages against their counterparts from conferences with fewer resources, and that disparity is a defining trait of the underdog stories fans love.

In the case of this year’s Playoff other historical underdogs, however, NIL spending is an undeniably crucial factor in Indiana and Texas Tech pursuing the national championship.

The top-seeded, undefeated Hoosiers head into their first Rose Bowl Game in almost six decades behind the Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. The Indiana quarterback has an NIL valuation of $2.6 million per On3.com estimates, up from the $1.6 million estimate shortly after Mendoza’s transfer from Cal.

And while less dramatic in a historical context than Indiana’s rise to prominence, Texas Tech competing for the national championship is a significant jump for a program previously destined to also-ran status. The Red Raiders are underdogs in the sense that they were rarely competitive on a national level previously, but Texas Tech reportedly spends on NIL with a fervor comparable to top-tier soccer clubs.

The soccer parallel works in part because, like a once-middling Manchester City became an English Premier League powerhouse coinciding with an infusion of cash, Texas Tech owes much of its rise to oil money.

On3 reported Texas Tech spent a whopping $28 million on its 2025 roster, making it one of the highest-priced lineups in college football. The public face of Tech’s NIL collective, former Red Raiders lineman Cody Campbell, sold his energy company Double Eagle for a reported $4.1 billion earlier this year.

So does this year’s Playoff foreshadow all our football holiday seasons to come? Does a program need its own version of Landman to strike it rich in order to compete?

Looking at the other closely contested 1st-Round matchup — Alabama’s comeback win at Oklahoma — offers fascinating perspective. It pit against one another two historically outstanding programs that CBS Sports designated as “good, but not as elite as you think” spenders.

That’s an interesting description, as it aligns particularly with Alabama’s drop-off from the most dominant program in the sport in the years just before the Supreme Court allowed NIL payments in 2021, to the Crimson Tide’s current positioning as a consistent winner but hardly a world-beater.

Now, it’s overly simplistic to credit Alabama’s marginal slide to NIL spending and discredits just how remarkable Nick Saban was as the Tide’s head coach. But it is noteworthy that Saban has been an outspoken critic not of NIL, but its lack of structure.

“I’m all for the players making money,” [but] I don’t think we have a sustainable system right now,” Saban said last spring. I think a lot of people would agree with that. In terms of the future of college athletics period, not just football, how do we sustain 20 other non-revenue sports that create lots of other opportunities for people in the future?”

In its parallel with the holiday season, Saban’s comments about the long-term health of college athletics during this present-day era of unregulated spending might bring to mind nightmares of credit-card bills coming due after a gift-buying spree.

You have perhaps noticed much of the information on NIL spending is presented in estimates. The lack of concrete oversight or regulation makes evaluating the landscape difficult, and only adds to the anxiety surrounding NIL.

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College Football Playoff team loses two-time All-American to transfer portal

Published

1 hour ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Tulane finished the regular season as American Athletic Conference champion and secured the AAC’s automatic berth into the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, closing the year with a 12–1 record.

Unfortunately, the Green Wave’s historic season ended with a 41–10 loss to Ole Miss in the first round, as the Rebels dominated from the opening kickoff and advanced to face No. 3 Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Jon Sumrall, Tulane’s head coach since December 2023, guided the program to consecutive conference-title contention and the 2025 AAC crown before taking the open Florida job on November 30, agreeing to a six-year deal worth nearly $7.5 million annually.

Now, one of the Green Wave’s cornerstone players is set to leave alongside him.

On Wednesday, Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett reported that Tulane All-American interior offensive lineman Shadre Hurst is entering the NCAA transfer portal.

Hurst is a redshirt junior interior lineman who has started 36 career games for the Green Wave, earning First-Team All-AAC honors and All-American recognition in both 2024 and 2025.

Tulane’s athletic department also placed Hurst on multiple preseason national watch lists in 2025, including the Outland Trophy Preseason Watch List.

Pro Football Focus graded Hurst with a 90.5 pass-blocking mark, placing him among the nation’s highest-rated pass protectors at his position.

Tulane Green Wave offensive linemen Shadre Hurst. — Tulane Green Wave offensive linemen Shadre Hurst (56) blocks during the first half against Memphis | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Before arriving at Tulane, Hurst was a Cartersville (Georgia) high-school product who earned First Team All-State honors from the AJC and First Team All-Region 7-AAAAA recognition.

He also emerged as one of the Southeast’s top heavyweight wrestlers, finishing state runner-up as a junior before winning a state championship as a senior.

Despite those accolades, Hurst was an unranked prospect who held just five offers—Tulane, UMass, Washington State, Chattanooga, and Southeast Missouri State.

Now, he is widely viewed as both an NFL prospect (projected third- to fourth-round pick) and a highly attractive Power Four transfer target in need of experienced interior offensive line help.

NIL

Ole Miss Reportedly Offers Historic NIL Package to Bring Back Elite Offensive Weapon

Published

2 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Ole Miss Rebels running back Kewan Lacy is in the midst of a historic 2025 season after joining the program in Oxford last offseason.

The Missouri Tigers transfer has taken on a significant workload for the Rebels where his meteoric rise catapulted his status to a Doak Award finalist – annually given to America’s top running back.

Lacy was named a first team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America last week after a historic 2025 campaign.

It became the sixth All-America honor for Lacy, who was also the first Doak Walker Award finalist in Ole Miss history.

Lacy has been a second-team honoree on other All-America teams released by the Associated Press, AFCA, The Sporting News, Walter Camp and Sports Info Solutions. Lacy has also been a first-team All-SEC running back for both the AP and the league coaches.

Ole Miss Rebels Football: Kewan Lacy. — Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

The Ole Miss star running back has been one of the best rushers in the nation all season long for the 12-1 Rebels, currently holding a season line of 258 attempts for 1,279 yards and 21 touchdowns.

But there remains buzz surrounding Lacy’s future in Oxford amid Lane Kiffin’s move from Ole Miss to LSU this fall.

Once Kiffin accepted the LSU Tigers head coaching job, the rumor mill started swirling surrounding where he would play during the 2026 season: Could Ole Miss retain him or would he enter the portal?

Fast forward to Monday and Ole Miss running backs coach Kevin Smith was formally introduced as the next running backs coach/associate head coach of the LSU Tigers – joining offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. and others in Baton Rouge.

Now, with Lacy’s former head coach, offensive coordinator, and position coach on staff with the LSU program, there is concern surrounding his future in Oxford.

But the Ole Miss Rebels aren’t going down without a fight, according to multiple reports, with the program offering a significant NIL package in hopes of having him back for the 2026 season.

According to LouisianaSports.net, the Ole Miss Rebels are offering a $1.8 million deal to get him back next fall:

“Lacy has not declared his intention to enter the portal, however, a video surfaced of a phone conversation where Kiffin suggested Smith and Lacy would be joining him at LSU.

“LouisianaSports.net previously reported Ole Miss has offered Lacy $1.8 million to return to the Rebels in 2026.”

Now, as Lacy’s future with Ole Miss remains in questions, it’s no secret that Rebels officials are rolling out the red carpet in hopes of having him back with the program for next season with a strong offer presented.

More Ole Miss News:

Lane Kiffin Reacts to New Offensive Coordinator Being Hired By Ole Miss Football

Ole Miss Football QB Trinidad Chambliss Wins Major Award Amid Breakout Season

ESPN Predicts Outcome of Ole Miss Football vs. Tulane Green Wave in CFP Showdown

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.

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NIL

Surprising List Of USC Trojans’ Biggest NIL Valuations

Published

3 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

USC Trojans NIL Valuations Jayden Maiava Makai Lemon Husan Longstreet Recruit Bishop Fitzgerald Devan Thompkins Transfer — Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) leaves the field following the victory against the Northwestern Wildcats at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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College football program loses 22 players to transfer portal

Published

4 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The NCAA transfer portal will open for all college football players looking for a new school to play for in the 2026 season.

The transfer portal can be an exciting prospect for successful programs looking to reload their talent pool ahead of the following season. For struggling programs, the idea of roster retention can feel like an uphill battle against potential suitors in the transfer portal.

One program that is fighting the aforementioned uphill battle with roster retention is West Virginia. A multitude of players on the 2025 roster for the Mountaineers have already decided to look for greener grass in the transfer portal.

Khalil Wilkins in West Virginia's game against UCF. — West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Khalil Wilkins (14) | Russell Lansford-Imagn Images

Among the more notable departures for the Mountaineers in the 2026 offseason will be quarterback Khalil Wilkins and running backs Jahiem White and Diore Hubbard.

Wilkins was given snaps as a backup in games against Robert Morris, Kansas, Utah, BYU, UCF and Texas Tech. He tallied 185 passing yards, a touchdown pass and two interceptions while rushing for another 243 yards and two interceptions.

While his 2025 season was far less productive due to injury, White had been given a lot of run with the Mountaineers in his prior two seasons in the program. He accumulated 1,820 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground while catching 27 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns in three seasons.

Hubbard finished 2025 as West Virginia’s most productive running back. He ran for 335 yards and four touchdowns and caught 16 passes for 156 yards.

Diore Hubbard breaks tackles against Colorado. — West Virginia Mountaineers running back Diore Hubbard (20) runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

So far, 247Sports has reported 19 other players will transfer out of West Virginia.

Offensively, running backs Tyler Jacklich, Kannon Katzer and Clay Ash, wide receivers Tyshawn Dues and Oran Singleton Jr, and offensive linemen Robby Martin, Cooper Young, Jude Edwards and Ethan Chill are heading for the portal.

On defense, linemen Adam Tomczyk and Jackson Biser, linebacker Mike Hastie, and defensive backs Zae Jennings, William Davis, Dawayne Galloway Jr., Devonte Golden-Nelson, Kaleb Gray, and Matthias Squire are all exiting. Punter Aidan Stire is also entering the transfer portal.

The Mountaineers rehired Rich Rodriguez to be their head coach after parting with Neal Brown at the conclusion of the 2024 season. Rodriguez coached at West Virginia from 2001-2007 and had held head coaching jobs at Michigan, Arizona and Jacksonville State after leaving.

West Virginia finished 14th in the Big 12 standings with its 4-8 overall record. The Mountaineers’ 2025 wins were against Robert Morris (45-3), Pittsburgh (31-24), Houston (45-35) and Colorado (29-22).

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NIL

Miami NIL financial commitment in 2026

Published

5 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The landscape is evolving fast, and more teams saw the success of Miami, Texas Tech, Oregon, and Indiana in the portal, and will become more
competitive. Texas Tech is doubling down, and we can expect more competition even inside the ACC with Clemson and VaTech. Point here, is what was good and competitive in 2025, wont be enough in 2026. Solid HS recruiting helps, but just look at the impact of our portal class this season. January 2nd through the 10th is going to be crucial, and hope we have our ducks in a row right now. The financial commitment needs to grow to be on par with Texas Tech and Oregon.

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