Paul Finebaum Reveals Definitive Statement on Ole Miss Football's Trinidad Chambliss

Finebaum revealed his take on the situation surrounding Chambliss, NCAA's approach across last few months.

Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) signals a first down after his run against the Miami Hurricanes during their Vrbo Fiesta Bowl matchup at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was granted a preliminary injunction against the NCAA on Thursday following Judge Robert Whitwell's ruling.

After spending over seven hours in the Calhoun County Courthouse in Pittsboro (Miss.) on Thursday, the ruling came in favor of Ole Miss and Chambliss where he is currently eligible for the 2026 season.

Judge Whitwell said in his lengthy decision that the NCAA “breached its duty of good faith and acted in bad faith” in denying Chambliss a medical redshirt for the 2022 season when he was at Ferris State prior to making his decision on Thursday.

Chambliss will be one of the top returning players in college football after throwing 3,927 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2025, while adding 520 rushing yards and eight scores; fueling the Rebels' College Football Playoff run.

Now, SEC Network's Paul Finebaum has weighed in on the situation during a Friday appearance on ESPN's :First Take' where he claimed the NCAA has “one of the worst legal departments (he’s) ever seen” and “completely bungled the case.”

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

“Well, let me think about it for a second… they’re arrogant, they’re haughty, they’re supercilious, they think they can do no wrong, and they have one of the worst legal departments I have ever seen,” Finebaum said.

“They did win a case earlier this week in basketball (Charles Bediako), but they mostly lose in court because they just can’t handle themselves. The NCAA attorneys walked out of the court while the judge was reading the verdict.

“Again, they had another case in Knoxville today involving the Tennessee quarterback (Joey Aguilar). He’s shooting for his seventh, eighth, or ninth year of eligibility. I can’t remember which one it is. But the judge admonished them and by the way, this judge’s verdict went on for 92 minutes. It was fascinating.

"He just ripped the NCAA apart. Before you get too carried away with law here, the judge, of course, is an Ole Miss law graduate and an Ole Miss undergraduate. I’m sure he screamed ‘Hotty Toddy’ at the end of the verdict, but it didn’t matter. It was the right ruling, because the NCAA completely bungled this case.”

Now, as Chambliss gears up for the 2026 season, all eyes will be on the Ole Miss Rebels amid a chaotic offseason for the program in Oxford after a historic College Football Playoff run to cap off the 2025 campaign.

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