There’s more to Trinidad Chambliss than meets the eye

Every college football fan knows the exact moment that Trinidad Chambliss vaulted into the national conversation, and became a sneaky option for the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

It came on a drive against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, when the Ole Miss quarterback turned in a dazzling series of plays as Chambliss and company drove 75 yards to take the lead against the Bulldogs. It might be hard to pick out a favorite play from that drive, but this one certainly stands out, a rocket on the move to Harrison Wallace III after escaping the pocket:

Ole Miss’ dream season came to an end in the next game, a loss to Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. Following that defeat, Chambliss needed another win — in the court system — to be eligible for one more season of college football.

Now that he has that win under his belt, it is time to dream about what he can be on the field this year, and beyond.

Chambliss is not your prototypical quarterback prospect, and despite what he does on the field this season for Ole Miss there will be questions he will have to face during the NFL Draft process. He will be a 25-year-old rookie in the NFL, he is not quite six-feet tall, he was a backup for three seasons at a Division II program before earning the starting job, and his success last year came in a Lane Kiffin offense that might not be a seamless transition to the NFL.

But his ability as a playmaker as shown above — Dane Brugler of The Athletic listed “[i]nstinctive playmaker” as Chambliss’ best trait in his preseason ranking of college quarterback prospects — certainly offers “whoa” moments. In a league that is all about explosive plays, Chambliss’ ability to create those will translate well to the NFL.

Yet, there is something else to his game that I believe will also translate well, and something that could move him up draft boards as we roll through the fall.

His willingness to, and ability to, attack the middle of the field as a passer.

With the emphasis on explosive plays in football today — creating them on offense and eliminating them on defense — the shift to two-deep coverages permeates the game at every level, from Friday nights through Sunday afternoons. But those coverages can give offenses the chance to create explosive plays when the quarterback works underneath and in front of those two-deep safeties over the middle, provided the passer can attack tighter throwing lanes with accuracy and anticipation.

It is not easy to do, particularly for an undersized quarterback like Chambliss.

And yet …

Take this play against Arkansas, which comes on a 2nd-and-12 situation in the second quarter. Chambliss has a pair of dig routes to choose from on the left side, as the Razorbacks drop into a Tampa-2 coverage. With the linebacker sinking between the safeties, and covering the inside dig, Chambliss rips a throw to the outside dig route with timing, accuracy, and anticipation:

While the safety does break downhill on the throw, the timing allows wide receiver Deuce Alexander to make the catch, break the tackle attempt, and pick up a few more yards to move the chains.

That double-dig concept is something that Kiffin dialed up often for Chambliss. Here is another example of the concept against Oklahoma, only this time Chambliss hits the inside dig route:

What stands out about this throw is the anticipation, and how Chambliss fits the pass around the underneath defender. He moves that linebacker one way with his eyes, before throwing the dig route into the secondary window underneath.

Another concept that Kiffin used with Chambliss, and one that you see often on NFL Sundays, is the dagger concept. This route combination pairs a vertical route with a dig route underneath it, giving the quarterback a quick one-two read. The passer will see if they can fit in the deep shot to the vertical, before checking the dig route below the go ball.

Here against Mississippi State on a 3rd-and-5, coming on Ole Miss’ opening possession of the game, Chambliss again squeezes in a dig route, only this time against a single-high coverage scheme:

Once more, the timing and accuracy loom large here. He fits the throw around one of the underneath defenders and in front of a second, giving his receiver a chance to make the throw and turn upfield, creating an explosive play.

Here is this concept in action again against Florida, on a 4th-and-10 situation early in the second quarter:

Good timing, good anticipation, good placement, and a quick dig route turns into an explosive play for the Ole Miss offense.

However, if there was one play I would pick to highlight what Chambliss can be at the next level, it would be this throw against LSU:

This completion comes in a big spot, on a 3rd-and-14 moment early in the fourth quarter, in a game Ole Miss leads 17-13. Chambliss opens to the right side of the formation where the Rebels have three receivers, does not like the coverage and immediately gets his eyes to the backside dig, and fits in a throw right between a trio of defenders in an “NFL window.”

A quarterback that can do that, as well as the first play we discussed against Georgia?

Sign me up.

Sign an NFL team up, too.