Former Auburn Tigers quarterback Deuce Knight is going to face an uphill climb to become the Ole Miss Rebels' QB1 during the 2026 College Football season after Friday news that's ultimately good for the University of Mississippi.
Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, "The NCAA’s appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court in the Trinidad Chambliss eligibility case has been denied. He’ll be eligible to play for Ole Miss in 2026." Thamel was the first to report the news.
Per additional information from The Clarion Ledger, "The court announced the decision on March 27 in a document obtained by the Clarion Ledger. The one-page order was signed by Josiah Dennis Coleman, the presiding justice. The preliminary injunction from Judge Robert Whitwell that Chambliss got in Lafayette Chancery Court will stand."
"We find that the petition should be denied," the order said.
With that, there's likely no more legal battles remaining for Trinidad Chambliss unless Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville's push to curtail eligibility for student-athletes at five years and limit portal movement is passed before September. That's highly unlikely, though stranger things have happened in this country since the current administration entered office in January 2025.
Deuce Knight's Ole Miss tenure has been an emotional roller coaster
Knight's entire tenure in Oxford, Mississippi, since his January transfer commitment has been a roller coaster of wondering whether the NCAA would keep his QB room competition ineligible. There have been various updates all offseason, but even with the latest ruling, it's unclear what the final say will be.
He would've had to sit behind USF Bulls transfer Byrum Brown had he stayed on the Plains, but Knight would've had more clarity about his future had he stayed and/or never chosen Ole Miss.
The Lucedale, Mississippi, native was hoping to feel comfortable at home, but this can't be anything but chaotic behind the scenes.