The NCAA is appealing a Mississippi state court ruling that granted Trinidad Chambliss eligibility for a sixth college season. The move escalates a legal dispute over athlete eligibility and the organization’s authority to enforce its rules.
The NCAA filed a 658-page appeal Thursday with the Mississippi Supreme Court, asking judges to overturn a preliminary injunction that allowed Chambliss to compete next season for Ole Miss, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. The organization also requested an expedited review.
The NCAA argues the injunction threatens its authority to regulate college athletics. In its filing, the organization said judicial intervention in eligibility rulings could undermine competitive fairness across college sports.
“If courts can intervene in NCAA eligibility decisions to provide special treatment to favored athletes, then the NCAA’s ability to ensure fair athletic competition in which all participants play by the same rules will depend upon the whims of trial courts throughout the country.”
Judge Robert Whitwell in Lafayette County Chancery Court sided with Chambliss, who transferred from Ferris State before joining Ole Miss.
Whitwell ruled that the NCAA improperly denied Chambliss a medical redshirt for a season in which he didn’t play or dress due to health concerns.
Chambliss emerged as one of college football’s breakout stories in 2025. He earned SEC Newcomer of the Year honors after transferring to Ole Miss.
Chambliss’ attorney, Tom Mars, pushed back on the appeal in comments to ESPN. He referenced the NCAA’s legal defeat in the landmark NCAA v. Alston antitrust ruling.
“Everyone remembers when the NCAA famously appealed to the Supreme Court in the Alston case and got their teeth knocked out by Justice Brett Kavanaugh,” Mars said. “I expect the NCAA to be spitting chiclets in this appeal as well.”
The Mississippi Supreme Court hasn’t indicated when it will consider the NCAA’s request.
