Oklahoma's Owen Heinecke denied 4th year due to Ohio State lacrosse stint
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Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke was denied a fourth year of NCAA football eligibility due to three games he spent as a walk-on for Ohio State lacrosse, according to Sooners general manager Jim Nagy Jan. 29.
In a social media post, Nagy announced the NCAA’s decision about Heinecke and stated there will be an appeal about the ruling.
UPDATE @OU_Football fans: NCAA has denied Owen Heinecke’s petition for another year at OU. When other players are being granted 7th and 8th years of football, CFB governing body has ruled Owen won’t get a 4th year. Evidently, this walk-on’s three games of lacrosse at Ohio State… pic.twitter.com/ZAhAQbsJHQ
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_Sooners) January 30, 2026
“When other players are being granted 7th and 8th years of football, 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,” Nagy wrote in the X post.
A Tulsa native and dual-sport athlete in high school, Heinecke had a short stint as a walk-on with Ohio State lacrosse in 2021 and competed in three games, according to Oklahoma Athletics. He transferred to Oklahoma and redshirted his sophomore year, swapping out the lacrosse stick for football pads.
Heinecke was primarily on special teams and was a reserve linebacker his first two seasons with the Sooners but saw an uptick in reps last season. He played in all 13 games as a starting linebacker, finishing with 74 tackles and 12 tackles for loss, the second most on the team in each category. He had a career-high 10 tackles in a 17-6 victory over Missouri and earned an AP Second Team All-SEC nod.
If his appeal is successful, Heinecke would be granted a sixth year of NCAA eligibility and another year in college football.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Owen Heinecke, Oklahoma LB, denied 4th year for Ohio State lacrosse stint
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