Prolonged NCAA silence leaves Owen Heinecke still facing unknown Oklahoma future

Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke has been left in the dark about his college football eligibility for 2026 just like the rest of us.

With Heinecke recently accepting an invite to play in the upcoming Senior Bowl, the outlook didn't look good for him to win his appeal to the NCAA for one more year of eligibility, but Heinecke was recently a guest on The Oklahoma Breakdown with Gabe Ikard and Teddy Lehman, and revealed his status is still very much up in the air as he prepares for the unknown.

Sooners LB Owen Heinecke admits eligibility future still unclear

Although listed as a redshirt junior on OU's roster this past season, Heinecke is out of eligibility in the eyes of the NCAA because of three lacrosse games he appeared in for Ohio State as a freshman in 2021. After graduating from Bishop Kelley High School in Tulsa, Heinecke initially went to Ohio State to play lacrosse after getting only two major offers in football from Army and Navy. He spent just one year at Ohio State, though, before returning to Oklahoma to join the football team as a walk-on.

Heinecke didn't touch the field for OU in 2022, then played on special teams and sparingly as a backup linebacker in 2023 and '24. By the end of 2025, though, he was the breakout star of the season while earning a starting job. He recorded 74 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks and forced a fumble while playing in all 13 games. He was named Second-Team All-SEC and emerged as an NFL Draft prospect if he is forced to move on.

OU appealed for another year for Heinecke and for those lacrosse games not to count so he can return in 2026, but hasn't been informed of a decision yet as Heinecke is running out of time to go all in on an NFL future or prepare for another season at OU. Heinecke said he's currently training in Dallas to prepare for the NFL while also staying ready for a college return.

"I think every case is unique, and I think the NCAA tries to follow like a certain set of rules that they have laid out," Heinecke told Ikard and Lehman. "Will they see my case differently? I hope so. But, you know, we'll see.

"In the meantime, I gotta be full head of steam on the NFL stuff, so I am training right now getting ready for the Senior Bowl. The goal is to hear back, and hopefully I should hear back before all that. It's kind of a weird game with eligibility, like what I can and can't do to maintain my possible eligibility if I get the year back."