Another Former Texas Guard is Suing the NCAA For More Eligibility

The Texas Longhorns men's basketball team has already put together its roster for the 2026-27 season but another member of last year's squad is making headlines regarding a potential return to college basketball.

Former Texas guard Jordan Pope is one of 25 additional athletes that are filing an age-based lawsuit against the NCAA in hopes of receiving an injunction to play next season, per reports from On3. Former Texas guard Chendall Weaver, who played three years for the Longhorns and was teammates with Pope for two seasons, is also a part of a separate lawsuit with the same goal.

The decision to sue stems from class of 2022 recruits, who would have just completed their fourth year of college basketball this past season, not being grandfathered into the NCAA's new five-in-five age-based eligibility rule that gives all players five years of eligibility.

Pope and others will now be hoping that the result is one final year of college basketball, which for many of these players could mean a $500K or $1 million NIL deal depending on where they land.

Why Jordan Pope Likely Won't End Up Back at Texas

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope (0) reacts in the second half against the NC State Wolfpack during a first four game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at University of Dayton Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pope was a key reason why Texas surprised the country en route to making the Sweet 16 as a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament this past season. He earned major respect from the Longhorn fan base after playing in the Sweet 16 against Purdue with a broken foot, an injury he didn't reveal publicly until after the game had ended. Despite the injury, he still managed to drop 12 points on 4 of 9 from deep.

However, given that Sean Miller's roster and backcourt are essentially complete, it wouldn't make much sense for Pope to come back to Texas, where there likely wouldn't be the desired NIL amount waiting for him.

After all, both Pope and Weaver entered the portal after the season ended in hopes of finding another opportunity at the high-major level. A return to Texas could have been in the cards had the legal process gotten underway immediately, but that's not how things worked out.

The Longhorns have already put together an elite roster that many feel can contend for a national title next season. True freshmen Austin Goosby, Bo Ogden and Joe Sterling will have a role in the backcourt while transfer guards Isaiah Johnson (Colorado), Amari Evans (Tennessee) and Mikey Lewis (Saint Mary's) will all play significant minutes.

Pope averaged 12.0 points and 2.1 rebounds across 59 games (55 starts) during his two years at Texas. He played the first two seasons of his career at Oregon State.

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