- Is it too late to give Trinidad Chambliss a Heisman vote? College football’s best story this season comes in a 6-foot tall, powder blue package.
- Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza a worthy winner, but easy to envision Trinidad Chambliss among finalists if awarded issued after College Football Playoff.
- Trinidad Chambliss pledges loyalty to Ole Miss as NCAA evaluates waiver.
I’d like my Heisman Trophy ballot back. I desire a revision.
College football’s best story this season comes in a 6-foot tall, powder blue package.
Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss made us believe in the underdog. This postseason, he made us recognize the quarterback throwing the passes can be more important than the guy wearing the headset on the sideline.
In a year’s time, this former zero-star recruit went from starting for a Division II national champion to becoming an SEC backup to stepping in as a dual-threat dynamo on one of the nation’s best teams.
When Lane Kiffin cast the Rebels into a nonstop drama, Chambliss remained a stabilizing force. He inspired a fan base to the degree they started flying a Caribbean country’s flag to show support for a 23-year-old American native to Michigan.
“A lot of people did doubt us before the season, and they still doubted us when our coach left,” Chambliss said after the Sugar Bowl. “We just want to play ball and have fun, and I think that’s showing.”
He’s showing he probably belonged among Heisman finalists in New York.
He’s become like a character from a Clair Bee novel. Title it: Tremendous Trinidad.
As Chambliss fired 13 consecutive completions in a Sugar Bowl rally and became a human pinwheel spinning away from Georgia pass rushers to turn would-be trouble into deep strikes, it occurred to me maybe we weren’t just watching college football’s best story. This quarterback who threw for 362 yards against Georgia looked like the sport’s best player, too.
He’s not just a star. He’s an inspiration.
“I feel like a lot of kids growing up really look up to him,” Ole Miss wide receiver Harrison Wallace III said after the Sugar Bowl.
What’s the return policy on Heisman ballots? I erred omitting Trinidad the Tremendous from mine.
Trinidad Chambliss would’ve made a worthy Heisman finalist
I mean that as no disrespect to Indiana’s Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, terrific in his own right in a Rose Bowl blowout of Alabama. Mendoza’s performance in Pasadena made him look like a worthy winner.
Chambliss’ performances against Tulane and Georgia made me think he could’ve been a Heisman finalist, if ballots weren’t due until January.
How different might the finalist field have looked, if college football’s top honor wasn’t awarded until after the playoff?
My ballot, due in early December, looked like this: Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt), Mendoza and Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame). If I’d had another month, Chambliss’ name would’ve been no lower than third on my ballot.
Tradition dictates college football’s top award gets issued before the postseason. Of course, the postseason used to consist of no more than one bowl game per team. Also, if you go back just 25 years, postseason stats didn’t even count toward a player’s official season totals.
Much has changed. Maybe, the timing of the Heisman should be reconsidered to meet the moment.
Latest chapter in story: Trinidad Chambliss pledges loyalty to Ole Miss
If the Heisman is to remain a regular-season award, then maybe we ought to consider another iconic trophy and award it to a playoff MVP, sponsored by Double Eagle Energy Holdings.
Here’s an idea: Winner of the CFP MVP gets a barrel of sweet crude, plus a handshake from a billionaire oil tycoon, who’ll then try to buy the player from the transfer portal.
Good luck trying to pry Chambliss loose from Ole Miss, the team that took a chance on him.
In an era of transients, Chambliss has some loyalty to him. He even hesitated to transfer from Ferris State before deciding test the waters at the encouragement of his Division II coach, as some Division I interest perked up after last season.
Chambliss now seeks an NCAA waiver for a sixth season of eligibility. He did not play in either of his first two seasons at Ferris State. He’s angling for his second year at Ferris to be recognized as a medical redshirt.
If the NCAA grants his waiver, he’d be a hot item in the transfer portal.
Chambliss took another transfer off the table, though. He says he’ll play his final season at Ole Miss, if his waiver is approved. Rebels fans won’t have to stomach seeing their star quarterback in LSU colors then.
“I owe it to Ole Miss,” Chambliss said on ‘SportsCenter’ of his decision to steer clear of the portal. “They just embraced me as a community and loved my family. It’s just felt like home since I got here.”
Chambliss didn’t garner enough votes to win college football’s top award or even earn an invite to New York, but he’s won a lifetime of respect with how he’s played and carried himself this season.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.