Judge grants Oklahoma LB Heinecke extra year of eligibility - ESPN

A district court judge has granted Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke a preliminary injunction that hands the former walk-on an additional year of eligibility in 2026.

Following a daylong emergency hearing at the Cleveland County (Oklahoma) courthouse, which included testimony from Oklahoma coach Brent Venables and general manager Jim Nagy, Judge Thad Balkman ruled Thursday that the NCAA failed to consider the totality of Heinecke's case surrounding his freshman season with Ohio State's lacrosse program in 2021, and he granted the injunction that paves the way for Heinecke to return to Oklahoma for a fifth season this fall.

A career special-teamer, Heinecke emerged as a star for the Sooners in 2025, finishing as the second-leading tackler on the nation's No. 3 run defense and helping carry Oklahoma to its first College Football Playoff appearance since 2019. He'll rejoin veteran Kip Lewis and Michigan transfer Cole Sullivan in one of the most experienced linebacker corps across the SEC in 2026.

Thursday's ruling marks the latest, and likely final, chapter in a monthslong eligibility fight.

The NCAA denied Heinecke's initial waiver request and a subsequent appeal earlier this year, prompting the 6-foot-1, 227-pound linebacker to begin preparing for the NFL draft this spring. A projected late-round selection, Heinecke participated in the NFL scouting combine in February and Oklahoma's pro day last month while continuing his battle for additional eligibility.

On March 23, Heinecke and his attorneys filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in Cleveland County, seeking an emergency hearing prior to the start of the NFL draft April 23. In court documents obtained by ESPN, Heinecke's attorneys cited «the NCAA's bad-faith, unreasonable,