In the modern era of college football, where players like Diego Pavia are getting a 6th year of eligibility, this Oklahoma linebacker has hit a stunning roadblock. Owen Heinecke’s request for another year of eligibility gets discarded because of his three lacrosse games at Ohio State. However, despite that surge, Sooners GM  Jim Nagy is standing tall behind him, giving warning signs to the NCAA over this perceived injustice.

“UPDATE @OU_Football fans: The NCAA has denied Owen Heinecke’s petition for another year at OU,” Oklahoma GM Jim Nagy said on X, “When other players are being granted 7th and 8th years of football, the CFB governing body has ruled Owen won’t get a 4th year. Evidently, this walk-on’s three games of lacrosse at Ohio State in 2021 couldn’t be reconciled.

There will be an appeal. If that appeal is denied, one lucky NFL team is going to get a stud two-contract player and an even better human being. Love everything you’re about, Owen. You stand for everything that is pure and great about college football, @HeineckeOwen! 🤝🫡”

Heinecke’s hopes for another college season fade after the NCAA has denied him an extra year of eligibility. The decision entirely comes out of his time at Ohio State, where he appeared in merely three lacrosse games during the spring of 2021. That small stint is now costing him his extra year of eligibility. All this is coming after not even playing football for the Bucks.

Now, after completing his season at Ohio State, Heinecke transferred to Oklahoma in 2022 but didn’t see the ground till 2023, as he redshirted himself. Most of his 2023-2024 season was spent playing on special teams. But things turned around in the 2025 season, where he started at inside linebacker during that pivotal November month. In total, he had 74 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, four passes defended, three sacks, and a forced fumble.

If Heinecke’s appeal fails, he will have to move to the NFL with less production on his resume and will have a weak NFL draft stock to be selected as a first- or second-round pick. But there is one way as Heinecke has been participating in practices for the Panini Senior Bowl. If he stands out among the crowd there, he has a chance to shine and be noticed by the scouts. But despite that positive outlook, what it would ultimately result in is another major blow to Oklahoma’s linebacker room. Brent Venables will lose his fourth linebacker of the offseason, joining Kendal Daniels, Sammy Omosigho, and Kobie McKinzie.

The current starting inside linebackers would be Kip Lewis and Cole Sullivan. Lewis is in his final season and Sullivan is a Michigan product who has come from the portal. Oklahoma will definitely need more depth to their roster at this position.

The main concern with Heinecke’s case is that the NCAA starts a five-year eligibility clock when a student first enrolls full-time and counts seasons of completion in any sport against that clock. That’s exactly why Heinecke’s lacrosse games at Ohio State stand against his extra year of eligibility.

This is a totally different situation from football, where players can play up to four games and still keep a redshirt, but in lacrosse, that’s not the rule. So even a few minutes of play counts as a full year. It was indeed actually just 15-20 minutes on the field.

“The first three games of the season, I played a good amount, and then after that, I didn’t see the field at all,” Heinecke said. “It wasn’t due to an injury. It was just due to being a freshman and lacking experience.”

Now, this case stands in a tricky position, just like Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who was fighting for an extra year of eligibility because of a medical redshirt. With Heinecke fighting for more time, his former team is gaining key players.

Ohio State’s portal success

Ohio State secured one of the nation’s top recruiting classes in 2025 as they tie for the most Rivals five-star recruits with Notre Dame. The Bucks have landed five of the 32 five-star players despite losing their key recruiter and offensive coordinator in Brian Hartline.

The five-star signees are cornerback Jay Timmons, wide receiver Jerquaden Guilford, edge Khary Wilder, linebacker Cincere Johnson, and wide receiver Chris Henry Jr.

Apart from Ohio State’s success, the Big Ten dominated the five-star list with 13 of 32 elite recruits, followed by the SEC with 11. After that, ND accounted for five and the Big 12 for two. The ACC only got one, and that too from Miami.

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Despite losing against Miami, their dominance in recruiting puts them among top national contenders. With key performers lining up for 2026, let’s wait and see if the Natty comes home for the Bucks this season or not!