Lane Kiffin of the LSU Tigers has been one of the big talking points around college football entering the 2026 season.
Part of this is due to how the veteran head coach left Ole Miss to take the LSU job. But the LSU brand is large enough to give Kiffin a platform for eyes to be on him.
Kiffin did well at Ole Miss, but he could never get over the hump with the Rebels. Last season, Kiffin helped guide the team to the College Football Playoff, but he left before the playoff started for LSU.
This caused some problems around college football, with Kiffin taking a lot of flak. But Kiffin also helped develop some of the stars on Ole Miss, including quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
Kiffin found Chambliss at Ferris State, bringing him to Ole Miss last season. The signal-caller responded by dominating in the SEC, throwing for 3,937 yards with 22 touchdowns and three interceptions.
SEC Coach Shades Lane Kiffin Around Trinidad Chambliss
Due to his success, Kiffin has received all sorts of praise for the development of the Ole Miss quarterback. But head of the new season, one SEC coach threw some shade at Kiffin over this praise around Chambliss.
“He’s a dude,” one SEC coach said. “Lane probably gets too much credit for Trinidad.”
Chambliss is one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC entering the season, but without Kiffin, he may have never become the player he is today. This isn’t to say that Chambliss wasn’t talented, but Kiffin worked with him closely, helping the signal-caller learn the ways of the SEC.
“Trinidad is not underrated now, and he’s a quick decision-maker,” an SEC defensive coordinator said. “He makes fast decisions. He can obviously hurt you with his legs, can hurt you with his arm. He’s just a playmaker. He makes guys around him better.”
Kiffin has been given a lot of praise for how Chambliss has developed, but some seem to disagree with that sentiment.
Should Lane Kiffin Be Praised for Trinidad Chambliss’s Development?
In 2024 at Ferris State, Chambliss went 14-1, throwing for 2,925 yards with 26 touchdowns and six interceptions. The signal-caller did enough to get the attention of Kiffin, who is known for his clever offensive systems in play-calling.
Kiffin gave Chambliss a larger platform, making his life easier in his first season in the SEC with his play-calling. But Kiffin isn’t the only reason why Chambliss is one of the top quarterbacks in the country entering the year.
However, to discredit the work that Kiffin did with Chambliss is wrong. Kiffin deserves the praise for finding Chambliss and then helping to turn him into a dominant force on the field.
The 2026 season will be huge for Chambliss to prove himself without Kiffin on the sidelines. And if his play in the CFP last year is any indication, Ole Miss will be just fine.
In three playoff games, Chambliss threw for 921 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Chambliss helped lead Ole Miss to wins over Tulane and Georgia before the Rebels fell to the Miami Hurricanes.
Ole Miss will now be looking to replicate the success from a year ago, with the program trying to get back to the CFP. The Rebels open their season on Sept. 6 against the Louisville Cardinals.
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