ESPN names Trinidad Chambliss as the Ole Miss player with the best chance to win a 2026 award

Ole Miss has plenty of expectations and hype – cautious and otherwise – heading into the 2026 season and a lot of that is having Trinidad Chambliss back under center this Fall.

The Rebels are fresh off a run to the College Football Playoff semifinals and Chambliss became a national sensation and feel good story last year. This season he is viewed among one of the great players in college football and a strong candidate for not just a national title run but some of the top individual awards.

ESPN posted a list where it picked a player from each of its way-too-early Top 25 teams that has the best shot at winning an individual award. For Ole Miss, ranked No. 9, Chambliss got the nod as a Heisman Trophy contender.

Mark Schlabach laid out his reasoning, and also acknowledged running back Kewan Lacy could also fit this activity but stuck with the Rebels quarterback.

“One could easily go with tailback Kewan Lacy after he ran for 1,567 yards with 24 touchdowns while helping lead the Rebels to an 11-2 record and then a surprising CFP run in 2025. For now, though, we’ll focus on Chambliss, who was one of the best stories in college football last season,” Schlabach wrote. “After transferring to Ole Miss from Division II Ferris State, he took over the starting quarterback job and was named SEC Newcomer of the Year. He had 3,937 yards passing and 527 rushing with 30 total touchdowns. How will he adjust to new offensive coordinator John David Baker’s system, which might operate at an even faster pace than Charlie Weis Jr.’s offense did last season?”

The oddsmakers agree with Schlabach’s choice, or choices, for Ole Miss when it comes to Heisman contenders. The latest odds from BetMGM list Chambliss at +900 and the second best odds to win college football’s top individual price. Notre Dame’s CJ Carr and Arch Manning of Texas are tied at +750 with the best current odds.

Down the list is Lacy, sitting at +12500 to win the Heisman. While there are not any current odds out for Doak Walker Award, the highest honor given to college football’s top running back, Lacy is more than likely sitting high on that list of contenders to hoist up the hardware in December.

Ole Miss will kick off the 2026 season in Nashville when it plays Louisville inside Nissan Stadium for the Music City Kickoff on September 6 at 6:30 p.m. CT. The Rebels are currently a seven-point favorite over the Cardinals.