Trinidad Chambliss Partners with Mama Justice for SEC Scholarship Program

TUPELO, Miss., Trinidad Chambliss, the quarterback who rose from Division II to the SEC, has partnered with Mama Justice to establish a $225,000 scholarship program to benefit students in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. The initiative, named the Macon a Difference Scholarship, aims to support one student per year in each state, with scholarships awarded at Southeastern Conference (SEC) universities.

Chambliss, who recently won his legal battle to keep playing football, is using his platform to give back. "The Division I offers never came out of high school," Chambliss said. "But Ferris State believed in me and put me on scholarship. People believed in me before I believed in myself, and my faith carried me the rest of the way. This scholarship is for every young person working twice as hard just to get to the starting line."

Chambliss's journey to the SEC began at Ferris State University, where he led the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships. After transferring to the University of Mississippi in 2025, he had an immediate impact, throwing for 3,937 yards and earning SEC Newcomer of the Year, the Conerly Trophy, and second-team All-SEC honors. His performance helped lead Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff semifinals, where he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Sugar Bowl.

Mama Justice, a personal injury law firm based in Tupelo, Mississippi, is partnering with Chambliss on the scholarship program. The firm's founder, Missy Wigginton, established the Macon a Difference Foundation in 2018 in memory of her eldest son, Macon McKinney, who struggled with alcohol and died at 25. The foundation has funded scholarships to Mississippi universities and trade schools since its inception.

"This scholarship is a direct extension of who Macon was," Wigginton said. "I grew up poor in a family of factory workers who couldn't afford college. I worked in a garment factory during summers just to buy my own school clothes, the first in my family to attend college, then law school. When Trinidad and I sat down and realized how similar our stories are, we knew we had to do something together for young people facing those same obstacles."

The scholarships, which are part of a five-year commitment, are funded by Mama Justice. The first three $15,000 awards will be applied to the spring 2027 semester, with each award going to a student at a different SEC university in the recipient's home state. The universities include the University of Mississippi or Mississippi State University in Mississippi, the University of Alabama or Auburn University in Alabama, and the University of Tennessee or Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.

Chambliss will appear in a 60-second commercial that begins airing on September 6, when Ole Miss takes on Louisville at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The commercial will run across Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.

To apply for the scholarship, students must currently be enrolled at an SEC university in one of the three states or have graduated from a high school in one of those states. Applications open October 1, 2026, and will be managed through the Macon a Difference Foundation, which is administered by Create Foundation, a Tupelo-based community foundation.

The scholarship application requires a 2.5 minimum GPA, an essay on overcoming adversity, demonstrated community involvement or volunteer service, and a letter of recommendation from a teacher, coach, or mentor. Recipients will be announced in late 2026 and will have their awards applied to the spring 2027 semester.