As one of Ole Miss’ opponents prepped for the Rebels, a coach from that staff made a comment to fellow coaches about the Rebels’ quarterback situation.
“If they play Simmons, they’re doing us a favor,” he said.
It speaks to just how impressive Trinidad Chambliss has been these last two weeks starting for Ole Miss in place of Austin Simmons, who has been working back from an ankle injury. Heading into his third start — a matchup against No. 4 LSU — the transfer from Division II Ferris State is coming off back-to-back 400-yard performances, including his latest standout showing last week during Ole Miss’ 45-10 win over Tulane. He finished with 307 yards and two touchdowns through the air, along with 112 yards on 14 carries.
It goes beyond the numbers, too. The talent he’s shown while compiling those stats has led multiple opposing coaches to tell CBS Sports that Chambliss has reminded them at times of a former Heisman Trophy winner who is now a starting quarterback in the NFL — Kyler Murray. To be clear, that’s not to say the 6-foot, 200-pound Chambliss is destined to win a Heisman or be a No. 1 overall draft pick like Murray, but it shows how dynamic he’s been the past two weeks against Tulane and in the Rebels’ win over Arkansas, when he posted 353 yards passing, 62 rushing and three total touchdowns.
In addition to the Murray comparisons, an NFL scout threw out another interesting one — former Houston star quarterback Greg Ward, who was a two-time All-AAC QB before transitioning to wide receiver in the NFL and recording 88 career catches.
“He’s instinctive, makes quick decisions in the throw and run game, throws a really accurate and catchable ball and has moxie and grit,” an opposing coach told CBS Sports of Chambliss. “He’s a dog.”
It all comes after Chambliss was a Division II All-American at Ferris State last season while leading the team to a national title. Now Chambliss, who appeared likely to land at Temple before Ole Miss got involved and sealed the deal, is set to lead the Rebels into a top-15 showdown against LSU and its top-10 defense. And while Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has continued to say that Simmons will be the starter when fully healthy, another strong performance from Chambliss could make it difficult to switch back, regardless of Kiffin’s belief in Simmons, who threw four interceptions through the Rebels’ first two games after also struggling with turnovers at times during fall camp.
Two defensive transfers soaring up NFL Draft boards
As is the case every September, certain players elevate their games to the point of not only producing at a high level but also climbing NFL draft boards.
This year, two of the biggest risers have been defensive transfers: LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane, whom Chambliss and Ole Miss will face Saturday, and Texas Tech EDGE Romello Height.
In fact, four different NFL scouts and front office officials mentioned Delane this week when discussing the biggest September draft risers. After three years as a starter at Virginia Tech, Delane transferred to LSU and has recorded four pass breakups and an interception through the Tigers’ first four games. An NFL assistant general manager told CBS Sports that Delane is putting himself in the mix to be a first-round pick and one of the top five cornerback prospects in next year’s draft.
“Last year’s tape, if you’re watching Virginia Tech tape, you see a good athlete and you see skills and traits, but he’s just now making more plays and playing more disciplined,” an NFL scouting director said. “I thought the tape was just wildly inconsistent last year and it just feels like a guy that’s taken the next step.”
Height, meanwhile, was one of the many high-end transfer additions for Texas Tech this offseason, and he’s provided an immediate return for the Red Raiders. After stints at Auburn, USC and Georgia Tech that produced just 6.5 total sacks, Height has tallied eight tackles, 2.5 sacks and six additional quarterback hurries through his first four games for the 4-0 Red Raiders. NFL scouts have told Texas Tech that Height has emerged as a top-100 prospect with a legitimate chance to rise even higher. Some already view him as a possible first-rounder.
“Everyone is calling and asking about him,” a Texas Tech source said.
Interestingly, one of the performances that stuck out most to scouts came in Height’s most recent game, Texas Tech’s win over Utah, when he finished with just one tackle and no sacks. That stat line was deceiving, according to scouts. What Height did against Utah’s two draft prospects at offensive tackle, Caleb Lomu and Spencer Fano, stood out regardless of the modest production.
“He was giving Lomu and Fano fits,” a source said. “They couldn’t do anything with him.”
Coming into the season, there were questions among some in the college coaching space about Dante Moore and whether he could play at a high enough level to keep Oregon in the national championship conversation.
As the Ducks get ready for their showdown with No. 3 Penn State, any doubts have been quieted. Moore’s play hasn’t gone unnoticed with NFL scouts either. Even though he’s just a redshirt sophomore, multiple front office officials told CBS Sports that the former five-star recruit has already put himself on the radar as a prospect to watch moving forward.
Through his first four games as Oregon’s starter, Moore has thrown for 962 yards with 11 touchdowns and only one interception. That comes after spending last season as Dillon Gabriel’s backup with the Ducks, which followed his freshman year at UCLA.
“They haven’t played anybody yet, but he looks like night and day from UCLA,” an NFL scouting director said. “He’s a good example of taking your time, staying, backing up a good quarterback, learning, getting better, growing and then kind of emerging as a fully realized version of himself.”
Read the full article here