Former Boise State star Braxton Fely granted temporary restraining order, will play for Oklahoma in 2026

Fely started 40 games for Broncos at defensive tackle

Braxton Fely will play for Oklahoma in 2026. | Boise State Athletics.

Another day, another temporary restraining order granted by a state court giving eligibility to a high school class of 2022 athlete for the 2026 college football season.

This time, the TRO came from a state court in Oklahoma, allowing former Boise State defensive tackle Braxton Fely to compete in college this season as a fifth-year senior. According to multiple reports, Fely plans to enter the transfer portal and play for Oklahoma.

An Oklahoma state court granted the TRO to Fely on Thursday. 

The 6-foot-1, 296-pound Fely was a four-year standout for the Broncos, logging 56 appearances and 40 starts from 2022-25. He was a key starter on Boise State’s 2024 team that reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.

Over his four seasons in the Mountain West, Fely logged 67 total tackles (20 for loss), 14 sacks, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick. He received second-team all-MWC honors following his junior and senior seasons. 

Back in August, Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said the team was exploring the possibility of adding Fely and cornerback Jeremiah Earby to the 2026 roster following a preliminary injunction that granted a fifth year of eligibility to class of 2022 high school graduates. The NCAA’s new five-for-five rule did not grandfather in 2022 graduates, but several athletes have filed lawsuits to gain eligibility. 

“It’s just where college football is,” Danielson said in his pre-camp press conference. “There’s a lot of different things going on. I really do believe there is going to be a settling of things. The five-for-five is going to be really good for college football, but changing it for the last year’s seniors now, the timing of it, it’s just a little bit difficult. But we’re going to work through it with what’s best for our team.

“Obviously, fall camp is a big part of building, continuing to build on common unity and being a part of this fire. So if it’s going to happen, it’s going to have to happen here soon.”

On Monday, Danielson gave an update on the issue.

“My opinion—and I know me and (athletic director Jeramiah Dickey) are aligned in this—if guys have, at the end of their senior year, went to the NFL camps or NBA and they didn’t make it, I don’t see those guys coming back to college. That’s not our model,” Danielson said. 

“Especially for us with our team, this is our team. We put a premium on pouring into this group. We’re not going to go look for guys that didn’t make the NFL to come back here. We’re going to put culture over everything.”

Fely received a rookie minicamp invitation with the Denver Broncos but never signed an NFL contract, John Wustrow of the Idaho Press reported last month. 

The SEC—and several other conferences—have banned former NFL players from returning to college. The Pac-12 is one of three FBS conferences that haven’t issued a ban.