Former walk-on Owen Heinecke, who rose from special teamer to standout linebacker at Oklahoma, was granted an additional year of eligibility on Thursday by a district court judge in Cleveland County, Ok.
Judge Thad Balkman ruled in favor of Heinecke on a preliminary injunction after an all-day emergency hearing. After hearing testimony from Oklahoma coach Brent Venables and general manager Jim Nagy, Balkman decided that the NCAA did not appropriately factor out Heinecke’s freshman season with the Ohio State men’s lacrosse team in the spring of 2021.
Heinecke, a 6-foot-one, 227 pound dual sport athlete at Tulsa’s Bishop Kelly HS, transferred to Oklahoma in the fall of 2022, but saw the vast majority of his action on special teams in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. But he played in all 13 games and started the final five games of the 2025 season, earning All-SEC Second Team honors. He ranked second on the team with 74 tackles and amassed 12.0 tackles for loss and five sacks.
Heinecke’s emergence helped Oklahoma post the nation’s third-best rushing defense and led them to their first CFP appearance since 2019.
The NCAA denied Heinecke’s first request for a waiver and appeal earlier this year and the projected late round draft pick began preparing for the 2026 NFL draft. He took part in the NFL scouting combine and OU’s pro day, while continuing to pursue his legal battle with the NCAA.
On March 23, Heinecke and his attorneys filed a lawsuit against the NCAA and sought an emergency hearing in advance of the draft.
Heinecke had intended to play both football and lacrosse at Ohio State, but was unable to join the football team in the fall of 2020, due to COVID-19, recovery from a high school injury and the school’s suspension of walk-on tryouts until the spring of 2022.
NCAA attorneys argued that Heinecke’s eligibility began when he chose to play lacrosse at Ohio State in 2021 and should have expired following the 2025 football season.
But Balkman did not see it that way.
“We’re grateful for today’s decision,” Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny said in a statement after Thursday’s ruling. “This is a fair outcome for a young man who has handled this process with integrity and resilience. We’re proud to stand with Owen and look forward to supporting him as he returns to competition in a Sooners uniform.”
The NCAA is now 2-2 in high profile cases of late, with Heinecke joining Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss in regaining collegiate eligibility. The NCAA has won in the courts in the cases of former quarterbacks Joey Aguilar (Tennessee) and Chandler Morris (Virginia), whose cases were rejected by the courts.
