In Oxford, Mississippi, Trinidad and Tobago flags are proudly flown at businesses, restaurants, homes, and tailgate tents, while also being posted en masse on social media in celebration of what is arguably the neatest story of the current college football season. No, residents of the college town are not celebrating the island country in the southern Caribbean — though its residents are likely confused when going online these days.
Rather, the hype is centered on none other than Trinidad Chambliss, a Division II transfer who became the face of the Ole Miss football team after the Rebels’ starting quarterback suffered a week-two injury. When Austin Simmons suffered what appeared to be a sprained ankle on Sept. 6 in a 30-23 win at Kentucky, Chambliss was handed the keys to head coach Lane Kiffin’s offense, and from there, he has propelled to national prominence.
“It’s funny. I love it — all the flags, the tailgates. It’s really cool,” Chambliss said of the Trinidad and Tobago flags displayed in his honor. “My family loves it too.”
Chambliss, who made appearances in the team’s first two games before taking over as QB1, had an immediate impact on the field and quickly captured the heart of the Ole Miss fanbase. In his first start, the senior signal caller led the Rebels to a nail-biting 41-35 win over conference foe Arkansas, and completed 72% of his passes for 353 yards and a touchdown, while using his feet to log 62 yards on the ground in the process.
“It’s a dream come true. You dream of moments like this,” Chambliss said after his first start. “Coming from a DII, I’m very grateful and appreciative of the opportunity that arose today. I’m going to soak it all in, interact with the fans, all the fans, because that was me when I was little.”
As Simmons remained sidelined due to his injury, Chambliss continued to answer the bell for the Rebels. Chambliss shone once again in a 45-10 thrashing of Tulane the next week, and then stepped up to a season-defining occasion on Sept. 27, when his efforts helped the red and blue take down bitter foe LSU, which was ranked in the top five at the time.
Chambliss has already become a household name on the Ole Miss campus after his standout performances against the Razorbacks and Green Wave, but he put the national college football scene on notice after commandeering his side of the ball with excellence in the win against the Tigers. Ole Miss rose to No. 4 in the rankings, and Chambliss’ quarterback stock had risen to an all-time high.
A catchy, island-themed song featuring a cast of popular Ole Miss athletics figures in cartoon form was even made in the field general’s honor, though Kiffin reminded fans that Chambliss is from the American Midwest and has only been to an island country once in his life.
“It’s funny. The flags [are] everywhere. I dropped Knox off at his buddy’s house, and they had a big Trinidad flag in the house. Now they’ve got songs about the island,” Kiffin said. “It’s really awesome too. I don’t like to kind of kill the story, but you know, he’s not from an island. He’s from Michigan. His dad’s from South Bend, Indiana. He’s been to one island in his life, on a field trip when he was little, to Mackinac Island in Michigan. He’s never been around blue water, let alone sand and an island.”
#olemissfootball got Trinidad Chambliss…now we are living on island time! @Lane_Kiffin pic.twitter.com/mFmOlUdwyN
— Portal House Studios (@PortalHouseDoor) October 1, 2025
Before Chambliss made it to Oxford and ascended to heights unimagined, he had wrapped up a national championship-winning campaign at Division II powerhouse Ferris State, ending a four-year run at the university headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Prior to his time with the Bulldogs, he was a no-star recruit out of Forest Hills Northern High School in Michigan who had zero offers at the highest level of the collegiate sport.
Following his title season at Ferris State, Chambliss was encouraged to take his talents up a division, and he tossed his hat in the ring to do just that. In April, the quarterback hopped in the transfer portal during the now-non-existent spring window. He was pursued by many schools, with Temple pushing hardest of them all to make him the Owls’ next starter under center.
The celebration in Philadelphia, however, was upended when Ole Miss came onto the scene, reportedly offering a better financial incentive and an opportunity to compete with Simmons, the coronated heir apparent to New York Giants rookie Jaxson Dart, for in-game snaps. Chambliss became a priority for the Rebels when scouts within the program watched his film and came away more than impressed.
Coming in as Simmons’ understudy, Chambliss capitalized with the ball in his hands. Sources repeatedly told SuperTalk Mississippi News in the offseason that Chambliss showed out at practices and in scrimmages, giving the coaching staff confidence that he would be a more-than-capable backup in the event of a catastrophe nobody foresaw was looming.
That same level of belief likely did not apply to the Division II product becoming a legitimate Heisman hopeful and an AP National Player of the Week after three dominant performances. Nonetheless, Chambliss has proven to be a trustworthy asset on this Ole Miss team, who has restored the Rebel fanbase’s College Football Playoff aspirations after last year’s loaded roster fell short of the 12-team pool vying for a title.
Chambliss is expected to earn his fourth start on Saturday when Ole Miss welcomes Washington State to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for the first-ever matchup between the two programs, though his head coach has not committed to naming him the permanent starter.
But in the meantime, Chambliss is the big man on campus at Ole Miss, who went from being a mostly unknown member of the football team to the casual fan to the program’s star pupil. His phone has been busier, and his engagement on social media has skyrocketed, but the Michigan native prides himself on staying true to who he was when he first set foot in Oxford.
“People are following me on Instagram and whatnot, and I’ve gotten a lot more texts, but I’m the same guy who came here in May,” Chambliss continued. “I’m just a hard worker. I just want to play football and have fun and win.”
