Virginia QB Chandler Morris Sues NCAA in Pursuit of Seventh Year of College Eligibility

Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris on Tuesday filed a suit against the NCAA in Charlottesville, Va. Circuit Court as the six-year college football veteran pursues a seventh year of eligibility.

Morris is arguing that the NCAA should have granted him a medical redshirt back in 2022, when he suffered a knee injury during TCU’s season-opener against Colorado, according to court documents obtained by Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports. Morris missed the next seven games and only appeared in three more during the season in backup duty as the Horned Frogs rode then-second stringer Max Duggan to a 13-win season and a national championship game appearance. Morris suffered from mental health issues in the aftermath of his injury-riddled year to the point where he told The Dallas Morning News in August of 2024 that he had “despised the game.”

Morris, citing these physical and mental ailments, is asking a judge to grant him a preliminary injuction that would allow him to gain another year of eligibility and play in the 2026 season. Morris in October of 2025 had filed for a waiver in an attempt to gain a seventh year of eligibility, a move that was denied by the NCAA in January. He went on to appeal that decision, and his appeal was rejected by an NCAA committee made up of school administrators.

Morris spent the ’25 season with the Cavaliers, whom he led to a school-record 11 wins and the Cavaliers' first bowl game victory since 2018 with a 13–7 win over Missouri. He completed 64.7% of his passes for 3,000 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 14 games played.

Should he manage to gain eligibility, Morris faces another block in the road.

Virginia's crowded quarterback room complicates things for Morris

The Cavaliers were busy in the transfer portal, adding two signal-callers in Missouri’s Beau Pribula and Pittsburgh’s Eli Holstein, each of whom figures to compete for the starting job. Pribula started eight games for the Tigers this past season while Holstein entered the year as the Panthers’ starter before he was benched, meaning both players are likely to compete for the Cavaliers’ starting job in ’26. Where that leaves Morris, assuming he gains eligibility, is anyone’s guess.

Morris is the third high-profile college QB to file suit against the NCAA in pursuit of another year of eligibility. Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss, after having his appeal for a sixth year denied by the NCAA, took the organization to court, where was granted a preliminary injunction to play in '26. Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar, who spent four years in junior college and three more in the FBS, was denied another year of eligibility when a Knoxville, Tenn., judge ruled in favor of the NCAA this past week.

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