Trinidad Chambliss: Ole Miss is unbothered by 2026 speculation, fully trust Lane Kiffin

On Friday, Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter announced that head coach Lane Kiffin‘s plans for the future will be announced on Nov. 29, the day after the Egg Bowl. On Monday, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss reaffirmed the Rebels’ focus on the season amid the Kiffin coaching drama.

“To our fans, this team is completely locked in, living in the moment, and staying true to our 1-0 mindset for the Egg Bowl and future games. We are unbothered by anything about next year and fully trusting Coach Kiffin’s leadership to keep us moving toward our goals!” Chambliss wrote on X.

Ole Miss can’t afford to become distracted now. The team is one win away from being the first in Ole Miss history to appear in the College Football Playoff.

Ole Miss is 10-1 this season, most recently defeating Florida, 34-24. Chambliss has been largely responsible for the Rebels’ success.

He began the season as QB Austin Simmons‘ backup, but after Simmons suffered an injury in Week 3, Chambliss stepped into the team’s starting role. Chambliss transferred to Ole Miss this past offseason after spending four years at Division II program Ferris State.

Chambliss has completed 65.2% of his pass attempts for 2,657 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, compared to just three interceptions. Additionally, Chambliss has tallied 444 yards and six TDs in the ground game.

While Trinidad Chambliss may be entirely focused on Ole Miss’ upcoming game against Mississippi State, fans can’t help but wonder where Lane Kiffin will be coaching next season. Both Florida and LSU are interested in hiring Kiffin.

At the beginning of last week, Kiffin’s family toured Gainesville, Florida, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. On Friday, On3’s Pete Nakos, Brett McMurphy and Chris Low reported that Ole Miss, Florida and LSU are each expected to offer salary packages to Kiffin worth at least $13 million per year, and up to $14 million per year.

For reference, Georgia’s Kirby Smart is currently the highest-paid college football coach, earning $13.28 million a year. It’s unclear if Ole Miss will allow Kiffin to coach the Rebels in the CFP if he decides he is leaving the program after this season.

Moreover, if Ole Miss announces Kiffin won’t be coaching the Rebels in the CFP, it’s uncertain if the news will affect the selection committee’s view of the team. All eyes will be on Kiffin and Ole Miss on Friday as they square off against Mississippi State at 11 a.m. CT. The game will air live on ABC.