Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke wins injunction to return to Sooners for another year

A Cleveland County judge granted Owen Heinecke a preliminary injunction allowing the Oklahoma linebacker to rejoin the Sooners for another season; it was unclear if the NCAA would appeal.

Owen Heinecke was granted a preliminary injunction by a Cleveland County judge that restores his eligibility and allows him to rejoin the Oklahoma football program. The decision came days before the Sooners' annual spring game and followed earlier denials of an eligibility waiver and appeal by the NCAA. Heinecke and Oklahoma had pursued the waiver as he balanced college eligibility questions with pro-day activities ahead of the NFL draft. The case arrived while the NCAA is reviewing broader eligibility rule changes. Key facts: - Judge Thad Balkman granted a preliminary injunction against the NCAA, allowing Heinecke to return to the Sooners immediately. - The court ruling came days before Oklahoma's spring game and the NCAA's intention to appeal was not immediately clear. - Heinecke played three lacrosse games at Ohio State in February 2022, which cost him a year of eligibility; he later transferred to Oklahoma and missed a year due to injury before recording 74 tackles and 12 tackles for loss last season. - Oklahoma's request for an eligibility waiver was denied in January and an appeal was denied in February. - Heinecke hired an agent and took part in the Senior Bowl, Oklahoma's pro day and the NFL scouting combine while seeking to regain college eligibility; his lawyers argued Ohio State's lacrosse coach ignored his redshirt request and said the NCAA acted in bad faith. - The case coincides with NCAA discussions about changing eligibility rules, a proposal under review by a Division I Cabinet that would set five years of eligibility with a clock tied to age or graduation. Summary: The injunction reinstates Heinecke's college eligibility for the upcoming season and allows him to rejoin the Oklahoma program while legal proceedings continue. It arrives as he prepares for professional evaluations and as the NCAA reviews broader eligibility rules. Undetermined at this time.