Sooners LB Owen Heinecke Granted Injunction to Play In 2026 Season

Norman, Oklahoma – A Cleveland County judge ruled in favor of Sooners LB Owen Heinecke preliminary injunction against the NCAA on Thursday.

With the ruling, Owen Heinecke is now eligible to play in the 2026 season, while also not having any further NCAA action toward him.

The ruling was made by Cleveland County Judge Thad Balkman, who presided over the special, expedited hearing between Heinecke’s legal counsel and the NCAA.

During the injunction hearing, Heiencke’s legal team member, Mary Quinn Cooper, stated that the NCAA didn’t treat the OU linebacker in “good faith,” with Judge Balkman agreeing with Heinecke’s legal team. During Judge Balkman’s ruling he stated, “It was really helpful to examine how Mr. Heinecke’s case was viewed. What was submitted to the NCAA. What was considered and what was not considered, in comparison with other cases. And I believe, because of that failure to consider the totality of the circumstances, that he was not treated in good faith.”

Heiencke’s legal team also made it very clear that they were going to use precedence set with, what Heinecke’s counsel called “eerily similar cases,” when talking about a female basketball player that played the 2025-26 season even though her decision was not fully ruled upon by the NCAA. Heinecke’s counsel also noted that the case wasn’t even in the database for the NCAA. With that, Heinecke’s legal team made the case the NCAA was either unorganized or made quick judgement without fully looking to Heinecke’s case.

“We got three or four answers why [that similar case] would not be in the database. The last of which, it hadn’t really been approved yet,” Heinecke’s legal team member Mary Quinn Cooper said the to media after the injunction hearing. “And this young woman finished her season on March 7th. So how in the world six weeks later are they still waiting to approve the decision to let her play. And really those are the kinds of factors that we see in the way the NCAA treats their student-athletes that causes this inconsistency. It’s kind of willy-nilly.”

On the other side, the NCAA, and their legal team member Taylor Askew, argued that Heinecke “chose” to play lacrosse at Ohio State, with him having choices to play for the armed service academies and other divisions of football after graduation from Tulsa (OK) Bishop Kelley.

Heinecke’s legal team combated that, with him coming on late after playing behind a teammate that eventually went to Oklahoma State, along with COVID happening. According to Heinecke’s legal team, it was at that point that he was unable to be seen in-person by college coaches. All of that combined to help halt his recruiting during his senior year of high school.

Similar happened at OU, with Heinecke arriving and injuring his shoulder in the 2021-22 season, only to be denied a medical waiver. The NCAA denied the waiver saying that Heinecke and OU never submitted information on the injury. However, during the hearing, Mary Quinn Cooper showed that OU submitted 171 pages of medical records.

Those two years, between lacrosse and Heinecke not getting a medical waiver for the 2021-22 season, were part of Heinecke’s slower development. Development that Oklahoma GM Jim Nagy came up on the podium and spoke about during his time on witness stand. While on the stand, Nagy stated that Heinecke didn’t start coming onto the scene for NFL scouts until the OU at Tennessee game. Nagy went onto to state that having NFL scouts looking at Heinecke from the start of fall camp would be a big plus.

“To have a bigger runway, would huge,” Nagy said of Heinecke now having scouts very much aware of him to start the 2026 season and having a second year to impress. “The NFL tries to avoid one-year wonders. Owen’s a half year wonder right now. He has a lot to gain by coming back.”

As for the ruling itself and the Sooners LB reaction, Heinecke was overjoyed and relieved by the verdict allowing his return to OU for the 2026 season. The Sooners LB expressed that relief when he met with the media following Judge Thad Balkman’s ruling.

“My heart was racing harder than it is before games when I was up on the witness stand. Pretty crazy day. Pretty surreal to have the case taken this far,” Heinecke said to the media after being granted his eligibility for 2026. “Super grateful for it all. I am excited. Just not really over the decision yet. But I am excited.”

Heinecke had 74 tackles, 12 TFLs, 3 sacks 4 pass deflections and 1 forced fumble during the 2025 season. A season he played in 13 games, but became a much bigger presence halfway through.

Heinecke’s full legal team was led by Mary Quinn Cooper of McAfee & Taft, along with former OU chief of staff Woody Glass, Tyler Ames, Andrew Richardson, and Michael Lauderdale.