Trending Now - Oklahoma LB Owen Heinecke Secures Extra Year of Eligibility

WHO:

ESPN - Owen Heinecke, Oklahoma linebacker

On3 - Judge Thad Balkman, Coach Brent Venables, General Manager Jim Nagy, Mary Quinn Cooper, Michael Lauderdale, Taylor Askew, J.J. Tappana, Brady Newville

WHAT:

ESPN - A district court judge granted Owen Heinecke a preliminary injunction, allowing him an additional year of eligibility in 2026.

On3 - Heinecke took the NCAA to court after his request for a fifth year of eligibility was denied.

On3 - Heinecke played three seasons of college football, and NCAA rules provide four years of eligibility for student-athletes.

On3 - Venables testified that Heinecke could be one of the best linebackers in college football and compared him to former OU linebacker Danny Stutsman.

On3 - Nagy stated Heinecke could be drafted in the fifth or sixth round in 2026 but could improve his draft stock with another year.

WHERE:

ESPN - Cleveland County Courthouse, Oklahoma

On3 - Oklahoma, Ohio State

WHEN:

On3 - The decision was made on Thursday, April 14th, 2026.

On3 - Heinecke's freshman year at Ohio State was during the 2021-2022 academic year.

WHY:

On3 - Heinecke argued that he was prevented from playing football during his freshman year due to COVID-related recruiting disruptions, injuries, and the lack of walk-on tryouts at Ohio State.

On3 - Tappana testified that Heinecke did not receive interest from major schools due to COVID preventing in-person evaluations.

HOW:

On3 - Heinecke's legal team presented a newly surfaced NCAA internal decision from October 2025, which granted an eligibility extension to a women's basketball player under similar circumstances.

On3 - The NCAA's decision not to upload the previous case to their database was a significant point in Heinecke's argument.

(UPDATED April 17, 2026 04:08 UTC)

A district court judge has granted Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke a preliminary injunction, allowing him an additional year of eligibility in 2026 after he took the NCAA to court for denying his request for a fifth year. Testimony during the case highlighted that Heinecke faced significant challenges during his freshman year at Ohio State due to COVID-related disruptions, injuries, and a lack of walk-on tryouts, which hindered his ability to showcase his talent. His legal team presented evidence of a similar eligibility extension granted to a women's basketball player, arguing that the NCAA's failure to include that case in their database was a crucial factor in their decision.