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With all due respect to Arch Manning, Dante Moore and so many other celebrated quarterbacks throughout the college football landscape, the most impressive player at the position through the first month of the season has been Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss.
In guiding the Rebels to a 3-0 start while completing 70% of his passes for 924 yards and seven touchdowns (as well as rushing for 64 yards and two more scores), Chambliss has catapulted ahead of his peers to emerge as the current favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. While some of the other QBs of the 2027 class have fizzled under the brightest lights, Chambliss has consistently excelled, turning skeptics of his pro prospects into believers.
But there are undoubtedly still doubters. And it boils down to two factors:
His size (he’s listed at 6-foot-0) and his age (he recently turned 24).
There are five categories I’ve long used to scout quarterbacks: accuracy, anticipation, arm talent, athleticism and attitude. I call them the five A’s of quarterback evaluation.
After diving into the 2026 tape, I broke down and graded Chambliss in each category.
Whether it be analysts, NFL scouts, coaches or fans, it never ceases to amaze me how often folks fall for a quarterback with brilliant athletic tools but subpar accuracy.
Plain and simple, accuracy is the single most important element when evaluating a QB. The ball needs to hit receivers in stride to help them create after the catch. Spin rate, velocity and touch are also important, but not as critical as being able to thread the needle from various distances and trajectories.
Fortunately for Chambliss, this is one of his many strengths.
The super senior routinely fires lasers while flat-footed in the pocket. Even better, he might be even more accurate on the move, as this strike shows.
This isn’t to suggest that Chambliss is automatic. During the early part of last season, his first at Ole Miss following four at Division II Ferris State, too many of his deep balls had a tendency to float. Chambliss is good but not great at layering passes between the second and third levels of the defense. Throwing the ball with enough loft to lift it over linebackers and drop it in front of the safeties is critical in today’s NFL, and it will be a departure from the relatively simple offense he’s running with the Rebels.
Grade: B+
Pardon the cliché, but the game just seems to come so easily for Chambliss. He’s a natural with impressive instincts and poise and he can improvise.
He has enough arm strength (more on this later) to zip the ball past defenders after his receivers have gained clearance, but he’s at his best when anticipating their breaks and starting his delivery before they’ve made their final cut to get open.
I think this is clearest when Chambliss surveys the field from a clean pocket. He shows impressive field vision — especially for a shorter quarterback — efficiently working through his progressions and speeding up his release when needed.
Again, there were some worrisome throws early in his time at Ole Miss in which he either stared down his primary read or failed to account for multiple defenders. And while he was not intercepted by Miami in the Fiesta Bowl last season, he got away with some questionable decisions.
Grade: B+
There is no getting around it: At the highest level, quarterbacks sometimes just have to sling it past defenders. The openings can be so minuscule that big-time velocity is required.
Chambliss has that type of arm strength. While the breakaway speed by his teammate, Deuce Alexander, is also worth noting on the play below, the throw is an absolute dart.
Or this touchdown strike last weekend against LSU.
As mentioned earlier, Chambliss put a little too much air under some of his previous deep balls at Ole Miss but this year he’s throwing the ball with greater touch and accuracy. This throw travels nearly 40 yards in the air and is perfectly placed where only his receiver can get it.
Grade: A-
This is a tricky category when evaluating quarterbacks because scouts are prioritizing pocket mobility, flexibility and the strength to fight through arm tackles rather than the pure explosive athleticism indicated in 40-yard dash times or vertical jumps.
Chambliss has agility and creativity as a scrambler, but he’s not a dynamic runner warranting comparisons to Lamar Jackson or Kyler Murray. He’s posted impressive rushing totals in his 16 starts at Ole Miss, including 591 yards and 10 scores, but I don’t expect him to wow in pre-draft workouts and wouldn’t be surprised at all if he opts not to run prior to the draft.
Given his statistics, I was actually a bit disappointed in Chambliss’ pure athleticism. He’s alert and will take yardage when given to him, but I was surprised by how many times he struggled to escape the pocket with backside pursuit often getting home. He’s more elusive than explosive.
Trinidad Chambliss has rushed for nearly 600 yards and 10 touchdowns in his 16 starts. But he’s much more interested in beating opponents with his arm than his legs. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Granted, some of the best scrambling quarterbacks in the NFL aren’t necessarily elite athletes. No one would call Brock Purdy as athletic as Jackson, for example, but opponents rarely get a clean hit on him, and he’s run for 12 touchdowns over 51 NFL games. Over that same span, Jackson has 13 rushing touchdowns.
While Chambliss isn’t the most explosive dual-threat quarterback of the 2027 draft, he’s very effective.
Grade: B-
Certain leadership qualities are expected at the quarterback position. Ideally, quarterbacks have the confident demeanor that can lift the spirits of teammates without becoming an egomaniac. As a former under-recruited prospect who began his college career as a backup at Ferris State, Chambliss should have perspective.
Since that time, of course, Chambliss won a national championship at Ferris State before transferring to Mississippi, where he’s become a household name while winning 14 of his 16 starts and turning the Rebels into a top-10 program.
For all of his impressive physical skills, what scouts appreciate most about Chambliss is the fact that the moment doesn’t ever seem too big for him. His championship pedigree and clutch play late in ball games have scouts excited about the impact that he might have on their own NFL teams.
Grade: A
Like with most young quarterbacks, Chambliss can improve his throwing mechanics and decision-making, but he obviously cannot do anything about his height or age. He is undeniably older than scouts would prefer, and his below-average height does show up on tape with Chambliss occasionally missing reads.
While short, the 210-pound Chambliss has a muscular, compact frame and is similar in stature to former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield and 10-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson. Because of their size, some questioned if they would remain healthy in the NFL, despite proving durable at the high school and collegiate levels, as Chambliss has to this point.
It’s perhaps worth noting that Mayfield and Wilson have combined to miss a grand total of five games to injury over their respective NFL careers — a span that includes 23 seasons and more than 300 contests. Unless medical testing at the Scouting Combine unearths some previously unknown issue with Chambliss, I see no reason why NFL teams should worry about his durability.
And given how long quarterbacks are playing in today’s NFL, his age also shouldn’t be a huge concern. In fact, I think it should be viewed as a positive: He’ll enter the NFL with more perspective and maturity than most quarterbacks.
Now, is Chambliss a surefire first-round selection? A lot can change between September and April.
But if the NFL draft were today, he wouldn’t just be a first-round pick. Chambliss might be the first quarterback to come off the board.
Oklahoma State at West Virginia
Colorado at Baylor
No. 15 Utah at Iowa State
Arizona at Washington State
Kansas State at Cincinnati
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