Oklahoma LB Owen Heinecke still wants NCAA eligibility back after working out at Combine

Ordinarily, players who participate in the NFL Scouting Combine are done with college football and 100 percent focused on the NFL draft. Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke, however, is a unique case.

Heinecke, who participated in the Combine last month, has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in an attempt to be granted eligibility to play college football in 2026, according to TheAthletic.com. A hearing is set for April 16, a week before the first day of the NFL draft.

Several athletes have taken the NCAA to court over eligibility rules, but Heinecke is a fairly unique case because the big question is whether the NCAA is right to say that the season he spent playing college lacrosse counts toward his football eligibility. Heinecke played lacrosse at Ohio State in 2021, then transferred to Oklahoma to play football in 2022. He redshirted in 2022 and then played three football seasons in 2023, 2024 and 2025, so if he can prevail upon the NCAA not to count his lacrosse season, the 2026 football season would be his fifth and final year of eligibility.

Previously not viewed as an NFL prospect, he had an excellent season in 2025, and is now drawing attention from NFL teams.

But he might be able to stay at Oklahoma and make more money from an NIL deal than he'd make from his rookie salary. Oklahoma has made it clear that it wants Heinecke back and hope he's successful in his fight for another year of eligibility.

“OU fully supports Owen and his pursuit of a fair opportunity to continue playing the game he loves,” Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny said in a statement. “We’ll stand firmly beside him as he works to do just that.”

Heinecke plans to be playing football somewhere in 2026, but whether that's at Oklahoma or in the NFL will be decided by the courts.