NCAA denies Dawson Garcia's request for one more year; legal action possible

Dawson Garcia entered the transfer portal but his waiver request was denied. Garcia's freshman season didn't count towards eligibility because of the pandemic, and he's aiming to get an exemption for his sophomore season at North Carolina that was cut short.

Jan 16, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Dawson Garcia (3) celebrates his game winning three-point basket against the Michigan Wolverines after the game at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

An attorney representing Minnesota Gophers star forward Dawson Garcia is considering legal action against the NCAA after his waiver request was denied.

"The NCAA has denied his request and his appeal," Garcia's attorney, Darren Heitner, told Gophers On SI. "We are now exhausting efforts directly with the NCAA before potentially escalating this matter to litigation."

New broke Monday that Garcia had entered the transfer portal, leading to the assumption that he could look to return to college hoops in 2025-26 if the NBA or other professional basketball ventures don't come to fruition. However, Garcia has played five years of Division I basketball, so he's out of eligibility.

To play college basketball in 2025-26, Garcia, who averaged 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds this past season, would need an exemption from the NCAA. The waiver would be tied to his 2021-22 season at North Carolina that was cut short when he returned to Minnesota to be closer to family dealing with medical concerns.

"The NCAA has failed to adopt and apply uniform, meaningful exceptions to its eligibility rules. It provides waivers to some athletes and denies others in substantially similar situations. We are currently considering bringing a case against the NCAA for Dawson Garcia," Heitner wrote on X Tuesday morning.

Heitner, a sport law professor at the Florida Levin College of Law and a professor of NIL at the University of Miami School of Law, confirmed to Gophers On SI that Garcia's case is tied to his 2021-22 season at North Carolina.

Garcia played in 16 games and started 12 for the Tar Heels before leaving the team in January 2022 to return to Minnesota to be closer to family. He grew up in Prior Lake, Minn., where he was a finalist for the Mr. Basketball award in 2020.

He spent his first season of college basketball at Marquette before transferring to North Carolina. Upon returning to Minnesota to be closer to family, he signed with the Gophers and played the last three seasons in maroon and gold.

Garcia's freshman year at Marquette was cleared from eligibility records because the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to all student-athletes who participated during the 2020-21 season, which was disrupted by the COVID pandemic.

If Garcia is granted an exemption, he would instantly become one of the most coveted talents in the transfer portal — and that means he would likely be entertaining offers in excess of $1 million to play in 2025-26. Much like Cam Christie last year, Garcia is reportedly still considering a return to Minnesota if he's granted another year; this decision to enter the portal just gives him options.

Of course, there are people with opinions on the matter. College basketball insider Jeff Goodman simply wrote, "It's time," indicating he thinks Garcia should move on.

Garcia's 132 career games is far from unprecedented. The NCAA record is 179 games, held by former Iowa guard Jordan Bohannon, who played six seasons for the Hawkeyes while being granted waivers for a medical redshirt and the COVID season.