PITTSBORO — If NCAA lawyers didn’t know they were in for a long Thursday in court, they got a strong hint early on.

Chad Logan, pastor of First Baptist Church of nearby Calhoun City, began proceedings with a prayer for wisdom and clarity on the part of the court that was considering a dispute over the college sports eligibility of Trinidad Chambliss. Logan praised the Ole Miss quarterback “for his unwavering faith we’ve observed, with him praying with his mom.”

Speaking passionately as if from the Sunday pulpit, Logan ended his prayer: “We know you are the God who has extended to us eternal salvation. … You extended King Hezekiah’s life for 15 years. So since you specialize in extensions, we are asking for one more extension here today. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

Said one of Chambliss’ lawyers during a break later in the day, “I didn’t know if it was a prayer or a closing argument.” Said one of the NCAA lawyers, “If God is against us, we’re in trouble.”

It took about eight hours of sometimes tedious testimony and arguments, but the preacher’s fervent prayer – and that of tens of thousands of Ole Miss football fans – was answered.

Chancery Judge Robert Whitwell ruled for Chambliss and against the NCAA, granting Chambliss a temporary restraining order and in essence another year of football eligibility at Ole Miss.

Late Thursday afternoon, Judge Whitwell took nearly 90 minutes to read his 35-page decision, in the end sparking applause from those in attendance and smiles, backslaps and hugs from Chambliss, his mother, his lawyers and Ole Miss quarterbacks coach Joe Judge.

Later, a still-smiling Chambliss signed autographs and posed for photos with many of those who had been in the courtroom.

And so it is that Chambliss likely will quarterback the Rebels when they open the 2026 season against Louisville Sept. 5 in Nashville. Chambliss, a remarkably nimble and resourceful 23-year-old from Michigan, passed for nearly 4,000 yards and accounted for 30 touchdowns in leading Ole Miss to a school record 13 victories, the national semifinals and an end-of-season ranking of 3rd in the nation — its highest ranking since 1962. Chambliss will enter the season as one of four or five favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.

The NCAA earlier this year denied Chambliss’ request for a sixth year of college football eligibility, and almost surely will appeal Judge Whitwell’s decision. But legal proceedings could easily last into 2027, at which time Chambliss will have completed his college career.

Lawyers for the NCAA left the court immediately after final arguments and did not wait around for the Whitwell’s lengthy decision. Clearly miffed, Whitwell said he would consider holding them in contempt. “That’s not the way things are done,” he said.

‘The biggest trial we’ve had’

I have lived in Mississippi for 72 years, and this was my first visit to Pittsboro (population 157), a tiny village that sits on Highway 9 about halfway in between the larger Calhoun County towns of Calhoun City and Bruce. Visitors are welcomed by one of those gigantic, 200-foot tall crosses we see across the Bible Belt. City Hall, just down the street from the courthouse, is about the size of a three-car garage.

Readers, as I did, might wonder: Why is tiny Pittsboro the county seat? The answer: Pittsboro wasn’t always so small. At the turn of the 20th century, it was a bustling railroad town. Calhoun County Sheriff Greg Pollin says that while Bruce and Calhoun City vied to be the county seat, a compromise was struck “and they put it right slap dab in the middle of them.”

Why Pittsboro for Trinidad Chambliss vs. the NCAA, you ask? The case was filed in Lafayette County, where the University of Mississippi is located. Answer: Lafayette and Calhoun are two of five counties served by the state’s 18th Chancery Court District. When lawyers for both sides were queried for possible dates for this hearing, they settled on Feb. 12, when Whitwell was holding court in Pittsboro.

Said Sheriff Collin, “This is by far the biggest trial we’ve had in the 14 years I’ve been the sheriff.”

If the population of Pittsboro is 157, there were nearly that many folks in courtroom Thursday. The place was packed with media crammed into what is normally the jury box. Two local high schools brought classes. Many Ole Miss fans came dressed in school colors of red and blue. As neutral sites go, this surely wasn’t.

William Liston III of Ridgeland-based Liston & Deas handled most of proceedings for Chambliss. Doug Minor, formerly of Jackson, was the lead attorney for the NCAA. Said Liston, “I got this case on January 9th and I haven’t slept much since.”

To say Liston was thorough is to say the Mississippi River is rather wide. He called four witnesses to the stand: Dr. Bradford Dye, an Oxford ear, nose and throat specialist; Ole Miss offensive coach Joe Judge; Trinidad’s mother Cheryl Chambliss; and Chambliss himself.

Dye, an Ole Miss grad and avid fan, testified about the seriousness of the illnesses that caused Chambliss to miss the 2022 football season at Ferris State in Michigan.

Cheryl Chambliss also testified about how seriously ill her son was at the time, as did Chambliss himself.

Coach Judge basically testified that Chambliss would benefit greatly from another year of college ball before turning pro.

Chambliss also testified that he believed he was receiving a medical redshirt when he didn’t play in 2022.

NCAA lawyers, who called no witnesses, argued that in denying Chambliss’ appeal for one more year of eligibility, the organization was only enforcing the rules that Ole Miss, an NCAA member, has agreed to abide by.

Whitwell said in his decision that the NCAA had acted in bad faith, writing that “the NCAA’s history of inconsistent waiver decision undermines the fairness of the process here. The NCAA never really sought the truth in its investigation.”

Whitwell ruled that the harm to Chambliss outweighs the harm an injunction might to do the NCAA. If the NCAA appeals Whitwell’s decision, the case could eventually reach the Mississippi Supreme Court, where several justices are graduates of either Ole Miss, the Ole Miss law school or both.

Good luck there.