Former Auburn QB Deuce Knight Thrown Curve at Ole Miss

Deuce Knight, a former five-star quarterback recruit who signed with the Auburn Tigers in the class of 2025, has hit some difficulty with his new program. Knight transferred to the Ole Miss Rebels in the offseason portal window as the No. 8 quarterback in the portal via 247 Sports and No. 11 via Rivals, expecting to start for Pete Golding’s squad in 2026.

However, that plan hit a snag when Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was granted a preliminary injunction for an extra year of eligibility by a state court in Mississippi. Chambliss was one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the country last season and nearly led the Rebels to a CFP National Championship Game appearance.

Trinidad Chambliss' expected return to Ole Miss has put a wrinkle in Deuce Knight's plans to start after transferring from Auburn. | Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In response to the news, Knight has removed any mention of Ole Miss Football from his Instagram bio and changed his profile picture on the site to a simple black circle. There were already concerns about Knight’s maturity after the way he chose to leave Auburn while trolling the Tigers’ fan base, and acting like AJ Brown after a game with no catches on social media isn’t going to help that perception.

Though Knight has all the upside and physical tools in the world, it will be hard for the Rebels not to run it back with Chambliss in 2026. The former Ferris State transfer took over the starting job after an early-season injury to Week 1 starter Austin Simmons, and Chambliss never gave the job back.

He finished the 2025 season with 3937 yards (No. 3 in the country), 22 touchdowns, and just 3 interceptions. He also rushed for 527 yards and an additional 8 touchdowns. The performance rocketed him up from an unknown and likely undrafted player to a sure Day 2 selection, but the 23 year old still wanted an extra year to show off more of his talent at the highest level of college football.

So, will Chambliss’ return relegate Knight to another full season on the bench? While it is extremely likely, this time last year Chambliss found himself in the exact same position as Knight, though coming from a much smaller school.

The most plausible scenario to get Knight on the field would be an injury to Chambliss that sees Knight outplay him when on the field, though that would be an extremely regrettable situation given Chambliss’ talent and NFL opportunities.

However, there is still a long time between now and Week 1 of the 2026 season, and there is an outside chance that Knight could outright win the job. He has extremely similar physical tools to Chambliss, as well as a bigger arm.

Deuce Knight's six touchdowns against Mercer tied an Auburn record. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If the Ole Miss staff decided they want to start developing Knight for the future and are afraid of him leaving, the redshirt freshman could still see the field. The biggest barrier to Knight’s playing time will be his lack of experience compared to Chambliss’ proven ability on the big stage.

Meanwhile, Auburn fans get to watch it all happen with star USF transfer Byrum Brown sitting as the comfortable starter for the Tigers for 2026, free of any potential offseason drama and quarterback competition headlines. Auburn may have lost an exceptional talent in Knight, but sometimes the talent isn’t worth the maintenance required to keep a player happy in the new NIL era of college football.

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