Oklahoma LB Owen Heinecke is Taking the NCAA to Court, Per Report

Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke isn’t done fighting.

Heinecke filed an injunction against the NCAA on Monday, hoping to gain one more year of eligibility, according to a report from George Stoia of Sooner Scoop.

BREAKING: OU linebacker Owen Heinecke has filed an injunction against the NCAA, seeking another year of eligibility, according to documents obtained by @SoonerScoop.@GeorgeStoia with the details: https://t.co/dDnNtzqbEi
— SoonerScoop.com (@SoonerScoop) March 23, 2026

Documents on Oklahoma State Courts Network confirm that report and show an emergency hearing set for Thursday, April 16.

Last month, the NCAA rejected Heinecke’s appeal for another year of eligibility. The linebacker from Tulsa competed at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis from Feb. 26 to March 2 before participating at OU’s Pro Day on March 12.

Though Heinecke said he was "full steam ahead" on the NFL at Pro Day, the linebacker admitted that he planned to continue weighing his options.

"The next steps ... would be to file an injunction,” Heinecke said after his workout. “That’s where every case is unique, and I’ve got to weigh the pros and the cons and make a decision.”

Heinecke and his legal team at the Oklahoma City firm of McAfee and Taft, filed the case in Cleveland County District Court, where judge Thad Balkman, an OU law alumnus, will decide the case. Heinecke's team also includes Norman attorney Woody Glass, who previously served as Venables' chief of staff.

New OU athletic director Roger Denny commented on the situation Monday morning via Twitter.

pic.twitter.com/vraS6N7x41
— Roger Denny (@Oklahoma_AD) March 23, 2026

"OU fully supports Owen Heinecke and his pursuit of a fair opportunity to continue playing the game he loves," Denny wrote. "We'll stand firmly behind him as he works to do just that."

Heinecke enjoyed a breakout season for the Sooners in 2025. The former walk-on took over a starting role at midseason and ranked second on the team with 74 tackles and also registered 12 tackles for loss, four pass breakups, three sacks and a forced fumble.

Heinecke’s college career has been unconventional.

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Coming out of Tulsa's Bishop Kelley High School 2021, he enrolled at Ohio State as a lacrosse player but played minimal minutes in only three games for the Buckeyes before transferring to OU as a walk-on football player. He redshirted the 2022 season at Oklahoma before primarily playing a special-teams role for the Sooners during the 2023 season before becoming a key backup in 2024. Finally, in 2025, Heinecke became a defensive starter for the Sooners and played well enough to earn an invite to the combine.

Even though Heinecke would likely be a Day 2 or 3 selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, he is now trying to get another year in Norman — and that would be massive for Brent Venables' defense as well as for Heinecke personally.

If the Sooners were to get Heinecke back, their linebacker room would be in superb shape for 2026.

Oklahoma retained incoming senior linebacker Kip Lewis and kept him from testing the NFL Draft waters. The Sooners also added former Michigan linebacker Cole Sullivan from the transfer portal, and they will also have depth pieces like Marcus James, James Nesta and Taylor Heim.

OU lost linebackers Sammy Omosigho and Kobie McKinzie to the portal after the 2025 season, as those two transferred to UCLA and Northwestern, respectively. Kendal Daniels, who spent one season at OU after transferring from Oklahoma State, is out of eligibility and also competed at the combine.

The NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh from April 23 to April 25.

Heinecke will hope for resolution to this injunction by the first day of the draft. If there is no decision before April 23, Heinecke will have to decide between continuing his legal battle for another year of college football or dropping the case and committing to the NFL.