A college football career is on the line over three games of a different sport. The Oklahoma Sooners just lost a player to ineligibility, but he is not giving up without a fight. After his appeal was rejected in February, linebacker Owen Heinecke filed a preliminary injunction against the governing body, seeking to have his eligibility approved. 

“Buckle up, folks. Owen Heinecke has decided to take legal action against the NCAA,” SoonerScoop’s George Stoia reported on X.

The injunction was filed on Monday in the Cleveland County district court. Fortunately for Heinecke, he has the full backing of the Oklahoma program in his fight. That support is exactly what he has gotten from 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,” Roger Denny, Vice President and Director of Athletics, wrote on X.

The situation the NCAA is using against him is the three lacrosse games he played as a freshman at Ohio State. As a result, he has been hindered from a possible sixth year of eligibility. However, Heinecke is in a very tricky situation at the moment, as he is also involved in the NFL draft process. He is trying not to put all his eggs in one basket, and hopefully, something works out for him in the end.

“Right now, the fact is that my year is not available, so obviously, I participated in Pro Day—full steam ahead on the NFL,” Heinecke said. “I’m full steam ahead on the NFL, and that’s the message that’s been communicated to them. And when draft day comes, if I’m eligible for the draft, I’ll be ready for the draft. I’ve been participating in all of this stuff with the plan to move forward with the draft, but like I said, if anything materializes, you guys will know.” 

Across four seasons with the Sooners, he recorded 86 tackles, four pass deflections, and three sacks. In 2025, when he played all 13 games and started five, he recorded 74 tackles, 4 pass deflections, and 3 sacks. And with his best performance coming in 2025, he hopes NFL teams will look out for him in the draft. He recorded a 4.62 40-yard dash during Pro Day.

“I popped on the scene pretty late, so I only have five games as a starter on film,” Heinecke said. “But I think people see a lot of upside.”

Heinecke and the Oklahoma Sooners are open to both options

The ideal situation for Heinecke would be to have both doors open. However, if the appeal is rejected, the idea of him joining an NFL team is one that he and the Sooners welcome.

“The next steps, similar to Trinidad’s case, would be to file for an injunction,” Heinecke said. “That’s where every case is unique, and I got to weigh the pros and cons and make a decision.”

The Tennessee Volunteers faced a similar situation with quarterback Joey Aguilar, whose eligibility request was turned down by a judge. Fortunately, Oklahoma’s general manager, Jim Nagy, understands the possibility of this and shares a similar mindset with Heinecke. Despite their desire to have him for another year, they are open to him moving to the NFL.

“We’re still working through some of that,” Nagy said. “We’re not giving up. Owen’s just a guy you want to fight for. He’s a really special young man,” Nagy said. “If it ends up where he’s in the NFL next year, whoever gets him is going to get a really good football player and a great young man.”

All Heinecke wants is to keep playing football, whether at the college or NFL level. A loss of the legal battle would mean nothing to him if he is eventually drafted by a team in the NFL.