The NCAA won the first few battles, but former (or maybe current) Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke is still trying to win the war.
SoonerScoop's George Stoia reported on Monday that Heinecke is planning to take legal action in his fight for another year of eligibility with the Sooners.
“OU fully supports Owen and his pursuit of a fair opportunity to continue playing the game he loves. We’ll stand firmly beside him as he works to do just that," OU athletic director Roger Denny posted in a statement on X.
What's next in Owen Heinecke's fight for 1 more year at Oklahoma
Heinecke and the Sooners have been in a skirmish with the NCAA over his eligibility since before last season even ended. OU even classified Heinecke as a redshirt junior for 2025 with expectation that he would get to return in 2026. In January, though, the NCAA denied to give Heinecke another year of eligibility. They then also denied his appeal.
Read more: Jim Nagy puts NCAA on blast for foolish decision on Owen Heinecke’s Oklahoma future
The issue is that Heinecke's college journey started as a lacrosse player at Ohio State for a year before he walked onto OU's football team. He appeared in just three games for a total of about 15 minutes in garbage time for the Buckeyes. The NCAA, though, is counting that as an entire year of eligibility for Heinecke's football career. It's worth noting that Heinecke also didn't play a snap his first year at OU while dealing with an injury, so a medical redshirt should also be on the table.
Heinecke eventually got playing time in 2023 and 2024 as a reserve linebacker and on special teams, but then he finally broke out as a star this past season. He was named Second-Team All-SEC and emerged as a 2026 NFL Draft prospect after recording 74 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble.
Since, Heinecke has been going through the process of a draft prospect, including participating in the NFL Scouting Combine and the Senior Bowl, while still hanging onto hope of one more year of football. It seemed his fight was likely over until this latest news.
Other football players have also taken the NCAA to court over eligibility just this offseason, with Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss even winning himself another season.
Heinecke, though, is cutting it close to get the legal system involved with the 2026 NFL Draft starting on April 23. According to Stoia, an emergency hearing was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. CT April 16, which is only a week before the NFL Draft. Heinecke has a similar benefit as Chambliss with a hopefully favorable judge in Thad Balkman, who graduated from OU's law school.
Regardless, it's really a win-win for Heinecke, though. He wants another season in crimson and cream, but if not, he's good enough to start his NFL career, which isn't a bad Plan B.