Ferris State AD fires back at ESPN, Joey Galloway over Trinidad Chambliss comment

There was plenty of excitement surrounding the quarterback position at Ole Miss in 2025. That was centered around Austin Simmons, however, and not Trinidad Chambliss, who has stepped in and played extremely well since Simmons went down with an injury issue. Now, analysts and fans are wondering where he came from.

Trinidad Chambliss came from Ferris State. That’s a Division II program where he helped the program win the national championship twice in three seasons at that level. He’d then transfer to Ole Miss ahead of the 2025 season.

For one ESPN analyst, Joey Galloway, Trinidad Chambliss has been a bit of a revelation. It also led to him questioning how Chambliss was so overlooked. He recently said on ESPN, “How did he end up at Ferris State? He is the real deal.”

Maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that Ferris State has taken notice of the success that Trinidad Chambliss has had at Ole Miss. Ferris State AD Steve Brockelbank also noticed what he seemed to perceive as a shot at his program from Joey Galloway. That led to him taking to social media to fire back at those comments.

“ESPN this morning… ‘how did Trinidad Chambliss end up at Ferris State’ – well let me help you out,” Steve Brockelbank posted. “We win, we have coaches who can flat out recruit and develop student-athletes, and it’s a great place. Stop asking dumb questions!”

Trinidad Chambliss was completely overlooked as a recruit coming out of high school. A Michigan native, he was a multi-sport athlete at Forest Hills Northern, High School where he earned All-Ottawa Kent Conference honors. Undersized and underrecruited, he landed at Ferris State, about an hour drive from his hometown of Grand Rapids. There, he’d play in 25 games and make 16 starts, along the way catching the eye of Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss staff.

While at Ferris State, Trinidad Chambliss was coached by Tony Annese, who has become a legend at the Division II level. A former high school and JUCO coach, he’s won at every level. Now, he’s found success at Division II, winning three national championships since 2021. That included going 14-1 in 2024.

In his four games at Ole Miss, Trinidad Chambliss is completing 67.7 percent of his passes for 719 yards and four touchdowns. He’s also rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns. As Austin Simmons works to make his way back from injury, Lane Kiffin is going to be forced to decide whether or not to stick with the hot hand or return to his starter from Week 1.