UNIVERSITY RELEASE — Originally published by Ole Miss Athletics, Aug. 20, 2026.
The Davey O’Brien Foundation released its preseason watch list Thursday for the 2026 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, and Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is on it. The award goes each year to the nation’s top collegiate quarterback.
Chambliss reached semifinalist status for the same award in 2025 and enters this season among the nation’s best returning quarterbacks, coming off 3,937 passing yards and 22 touchdowns with 527 rushing yards and eight more scores on the ground.
The Davey O’Brien joins an already crowded preseason shelf. Chambliss is on the watch lists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year award and the Maxwell Award, has been named a preseason first-team All-American by multiple outlets, and landed on preseason all-SEC teams from the conference coaches, the media, Athlon and Phil Steele.
Ole Miss has produced six previous Davey O’Brien semifinalists — Bo Wallace in 2014, Matt Corral in 2021, Jaxson Dart in 2023 and 2024, and Chambliss in 2025. Eli Manning remains the program’s lone finalist, in 2003.
Semifinalists will be announced Nov. 17 and the three finalists on Nov. 24, with the winner revealed Dec. 11 on the Home Depot College Football Awards show on ESPN.
Ole Miss opens the season Sunday, Sept. 6 against Louisville at 6:30 p.m. CT at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
📄 Read the full university release: Trinidad Chambliss Earns Spot on Davey O’Brien Preseason Watch List → (OleMissSports.com)