OU head coach Brent Venables communicated redshirt junior linebacker Owen Heinecke, who is fighting for another year of eligibility, is in a tough spot to make a decision on OU or NFL without clarity from the NCAA.
Heinecke is seeking another year of eligibility because the NCAA is counting three games of lacrosse he played his freshman year at Ohio State against him.
His initial petition for eligibility was denied on Jan. 29 and his appeal as well on Feb. 24. He has filed a preliminary injunction against the NCAA for another year of eligibility, as first reported by SoonerScoop's George Stoia on Monday, with the judge assigned to the case, Thad Balkman, being an OU Law graduate.
“Obviously, if he wants to come here, even if he got the injunction, he’s got to make a decision and … follow through with it," Venables said, “but right now, it’s not an option because he doesn’t have the green light to be able to come back to college.”
Venables also said that, while Heinecke waits for the “green light,” he has given the linebacker the guidance to go where’s best for him and that he deeply values his intangibles regardless. Heinecke has recorded 86 tackles, four pass deflections and three sacks across four seasons as a Sooner after beginning as a walk-on player, including 74 tackles, four pass deflections and three sacks last season while playing in all 13 games and starting five in a Venables-led defense that finished No. 7 in the nation in 2025.
“We know what caliber of a player he is, and for me, I’ve just told him, ‘You got to let your spirit take you to whatever door that is, if that’s the NFL, if that’s back to Oklahoma … ,” Venables said. “He’s a great player and great leader.”
General manager Jim Nagy, at media day on March 9, also spoke in support of Heinecke. He said that, while he expects Heinecke to have a good NFL career, the linebacker's character makes continuing to advocate for a college return worth it.
“We're not giving up,” Nagy said. “Owen’s just a guy you want to fight for, and … he's a really special young man. If it ends up where he's in the NFL next year, whoever gets him is going to get a really good football player and a great young man, but we're still working through that.”
To be given the injunction, Heinecke will present his case to Balkman at 8:30 a.m. on April 16 in Cleveland County District Court before receiving another year of eligibility if successful, barring an appeal from the NCAA.
