As reported by Ole Miss Rebels On SI, Trinidad Chambliss has been named to the 2026 Davey O’Brien Award preseason watch list.
He is one of 30 quarterbacks on the list and one of seven from the SEC, which places him among the most-watched signal-callers heading into 2026. That recognition follows a breakthrough 2025 season that raised national expectations for his follow-up year.
Key Takeaways
- Trinidad Chambliss was a Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist in 2025 and is again on the preseason watch list for 2026.
- In 2025 Chambliss threw for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns while adding 527 rushing yards and eight rushing scores.
- Chambliss is receiving broad preseason recognition, including watch-list placements for the Walter Camp and Maxwell awards and first-team All-American nods.
Why Trinidad Chambliss belongs on national award lists
Chambliss’s 2025 season combined high-level passing production with meaningful rushing output, a profile award voters often reward in quarterbacks who impact multiple phases of the offense.
He helped lead Ole Miss to a Playoff semifinal run in 2025, a team achievement that strengthens his case relative to purely pass-heavy statistical leaders.
Recognition across multiple preseason lists and All-American mentions indicates national evaluators see him as a complete, impact player rather than a one-dimensional passer.
How Chambliss stacks up against SEC watch list quarterbacks
The SEC placed seven quarterbacks on the Davey O’Brien preseason watch list, the most of any conference and a reminder of the league’s depth at the position.
Chambliss profiles as a winning-focused, dual-threat quarterback whose résumé emphasizes team advancement as much as individual box-score flashes.
That contrasts with several peers who project to operate in pass-first environments where volume numbers could dominate voter attention, making Chambliss’s path to the award more about efficiency and victories.
2025 production and watch list context
| Quarterback | 2025 notes | Award/watch list context | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trinidad Chambliss | 3,937 passing yards and 22 passing TDs; 527 rushing yards and 8 rushing TDs | 2025 Davey O’Brien semifinalist; named to the 2026 Davey O’Brien preseason watch list; on preseason lists for Walter Camp and Maxwell | Balanced dual-threat with a winning résumé |
| SEC watch list peers | Includes Arch Manning, John Mateer, Byrum Brown, Sam Leavitt, Gunner Stockton, Marcel Reed | All listed among the 30 Davey O’Brien preseason selections | Mix of pass-first and balanced quarterback profiles across the conference |
| Non-SEC watch list peers | Includes names such as Julian Sayin and Dante Moore on the preseason list | Part of the national group of 30 preseason Davey O’Brien selections | Representative of high-volume passing candidates highlighted on national lists |
Ole Miss recruiting and CFP positioning with Chambliss
Chambliss’s presence on national watch lists keeps Ole Miss in award conversations and elevates the program’s profile during recruiting and roster-planning cycles.
If Chambliss were to win the Davey O’Brien Award, he would be the first Ole Miss quarterback in program history to do so, and sustaining his level of play would influence opponent game plans and the Rebels’ College Football Playoff positioning.
