OU football head coach Brent Venables and teammates shared their excitement to have redshirt senior linebacker Owen Heinecke returning following a Cleveland County judge’s decision to grant him an injunction for another year of eligibility.
Heinecke ran out of the tunnel alone to “Many Men” by 50 Cent, which became a fourth-quarter tradition late in the 2025 season, before the spring game, but he did not play Saturday. Venables spoke after the scrimmage about how important Heinecke’s additional year of eligibility is for the linebacker and the Sooners.
OU head coach Brent Venables on return of linebacker Owen Heinecke
“You can't manufacture the experience that he has, the leadership that he has, the playmaking that he has, … ” Venables said. “You can't put a price on ... nine months of meeting room, weight room, walkthroughs, practice, tutelage that you know he's going to gain from the next several months and then the game experience that he's going to gain.”
Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Danny Okoye, who played in 11 games for the Sooners in 2025, said that Heinecke’s leadership will be a great boost to the team next season.
“Having Owen back is a great blessing,” Okoye said. “I feel like we needed another leader on the defense, and … having that experience (from) the dude who's already been leading, especially last year and the run that we had, having him back in the room is definitely going to be a great benefit for our defense. Even having him on the field today, the energy was just different from before.”
Redshirt senior linebacker Owen Heinecke and redshirt senior linebacker Kip Lewis before the spring game on April 18, 2026.
Though Heinecke had not been playing in practice before the court decision, he helped in drills and was a significant voice in the locker room.
“Having a dude in the room who has experience, who has film, who has that voice, who people will listen to, is always going to be great, no matter if it's a linebacker or (someone) on offense,” Okoye said. “So having somebody there who can take control of the room when the coaches aren't there is always great.”
Redshirt senior quarterback John Mateer said that he learned of Heinecke’s court decision while in a quarterback meeting with offensive analyst Colt Garrett.
“We were in the quarterback meeting, and Colt Garrett … goes, ‘Yes, we got Owen back,’” Mateer said. “And we’re all in there smiling.”
Cleveland County Judge Thad Balkman granted Heinecke another year of eligibility Thursday afternoon.
Heinecke testified before Balkman, an OU Law graduate, on the basis that he has played only three seasons of college football, though the NCAA’s rules give every student-athlete four. Heinecke added he was prevented from playing football his freshman year at Ohio State due to COVID-related recruiting disruptions, injuries and the program not holding walk-on tryouts until spring 2022. He ultimately played lacrosse for the school.
