Owen Heinecke's quest for an additional year of eligibility hit another speedbump — and may have reached the end of the road.
The NCAA denied Heinecke's appeal of its initial decision to not grant him a waiver for a sixth year of eligibility, according to a report Tuesday afternoon by The Oklahoman, citing a message from Heinecke's father, Justin. Heinecke can still file a lawsuit seeking an injunction or temporary restraining order against the NCAA in an attempt to return to Oklahoma for the 2026 season, but it is currently unclear if he will pursue that route.
In the meantime, the OU linebacker is in Indianapolis this week participating in the NFL Combine as one of 10 former Sooners invited to this year's annual scouting event, which began Monday and runs through March 2.
An All-SEC performer for Oklahoma in 2025, Heinecke emerged as a vital piece of one of the nation's best defenses after spending the prior three seasons in a reserve role at linebacker and contributor on special teams as a walk-on. Heinecke, a native of Tulsa, appeared in all 13 games and started each of the final five for Oklahoma at linebacker during the 2025 season as the Sooners made a return to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019.
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Heinecke was second on the team with 74 total tackles, just two behind team leader Kip Lewis, and posted 12 tackles for loss, three sacks, four pass breakups and a forced fumble. Heinecke finished the year with 15 total pressures and 31 run stops, according to Pro Football Focus, while picking up second-team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press.
It was a breakthrough year for Heinecke, who started his career at Ohio State in 2021 as a lacrosse player. Heinecke appeared in just three games for the Buckeyes' lacrosse team that season before transferring to Oklahoma as a walk-on linebacker. He appeared in all 13 games during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, albeit primarily in a special teams capacity. The 6-foot-1, 227-pounder did not see the field in 2022, his first season in Norman.
Since the NCAA counted the three lacrosse appearances against Heinecke's eligibility, he applied for a waiver for a sixth year of eligibility to return to Oklahoma for an additional season.
"I'm hoping that all the evidence and the fact that I hope the NCAA will see that I'm not just another football player who is wanting a bunch of NIL money," Heinecke said after Oklahoma's first-round playoff loss to Alabama on Dec. 19. "I'm someone who cares about the university and stuck their time out with the same place and is just starting to kind of reap the rewards, is wanting another year to go at it. I'm hoping that they'll see my case for that and not just kind of clump it with everything else."
If Heinecke does not pursue the legal route, his career at Oklahoma will be over, as he turns his attention toward the NFL. He participated in last month's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, and garnered a lot of attention for his performance there. This week in Indianapolis he'll have another chance to impress NFL personnel, both in testing and in formal interviews.
NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein projects Heinecke as a "good backup with the potential to develop into a starter" in the league. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has Heinecke as the No. 14 off-ball linebacker available in this year's draft ahead of the Combine.
"One lucky NFL team is going to get a stud two-contract player and an even better human being," Oklahoma general manager Jim Nagy posted on social media last month.