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Zakai Zeigler is suing the NCAA over an eligibility subject following his senior yr at Tennessee. He believes he’s entitled to 1 extra season in Knoxville as he’s nonetheless inside his five-year window.
Sadly, the season he’s hoping to play doesn’t exist. He successfully exhausted his 4 years of eligibility within the Volunteers‘ most up-to-date run to the Elite Eight.
The premise of NCAA eligibility is easy. Pupil-athletes have a five-year window to efficiently full 4 seasons of play. As soon as the 4 years of competitors are met, eligibility is gone.
The fifth yr permits for redshirt seasons, notably for freshmen getting into 12 months 1 of their faculty careers. Redshirts will not be, nonetheless, required.
Zakai Zeigler didn’t make the most of a redshirt season with the Vols. He performed 4 consecutive campaigns from 2021-2025. He averaged greater than 22 minutes per recreation and appeared in not less than 30 video games in every occasion.
Regardless of having one yr left in his five-year window, his enjoying time has expired. He’s now difficult that NCAA ruling in court docket.
Zakai Zeigler is suing the NCAA
One other eligiblity lawsuit has been filed towards the NCAA, this time by Tennessee basketball’s Zakai Zeigler.
That is one thing of a twist from the system: Zeigler, who has performed at UT since his true freshman yr in 2021, seeks a fifth yr inside his eligibility window. pic.twitter.com/DVyM6OsGUN
— Sam C. Ehrlich (@samcehrlich) Might 20, 2025
Zeigler claims that he’s entitled to a fifth yr regardless of having already performed 138 video games throughout 4 seasons. His reasoning? He wasn’t given the chance to redshirt when others have been.
“By the redshirt system, the NCAA establishments – not athletes – largely management who will get entry to the fifth yr of eligibility, strategically ‘banking’ eligibility for some athletes whereas denying it for others, with out consideration, based mostly purely on institutional desire and profit.”
Tennessee wanted Zeigler in 12 months 1. He appeared in 35 video games as a freshman. Had he taken the season off, not solely would he have saved a yr of eligibility, however he would’ve been capable of acquire a paycheck, too.
NIL performs a big position within the lawsuit. Zeigler claims to have made $150,000 as a freshman, a quantity that elevated every year as much as a $500,000 cost as a senior. Now, he believes his worth sits anyplace between $2-4 million.
“Based mostly on projections from Spyre Sports activities Group, the NIL collective related to the College of Tennessee, Zeigler’s NIL valuation for the 2025-26 season ranges from $2 million to $4 million. This valuation displays the market worth of an upperclassman with a confirmed efficiency report and excessive visibility, particularly in a high-profile convention just like the SEC.”
Zakai Zeigler argues that gamers who redshirt can nonetheless obtain NIL cost. He didn’t get that chance. He additionally simply missed out on the COVID blanket waiver that gave gamers in 2020 an additional season of competitors.
His worth now could be actually greater than what it was when he entered faculty as a freshman. The market has modified, as have his expertise and manufacturing. Does the lawsuit have an opportunity? Tennessee wouldn’t thoughts seeing Zeigler go well with up yet another yr.
That is removed from the primary eligibility subject the NCAA has been pressured to take care of this yr. Final fall, Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia efficiently battled for his JUCO profession to be scrubbed from the report. He was granted yet another yr to play his fourth D1 season in Nashville.
That win has led others to combat for his or her enjoying time. South Carolina switch operating again Rahsul Faison not too long ago lawyered up in pursuit of an additional season. He’s surpassed his five-year window however has solely performed in three seasons. He seeks a fourth and closing yr in Columbia.
Zakai Zeigler’s state of affairs is attention-grabbing as a result of in contrast to most prior instances, he has performed 4 years on the D1 degree. He’s basically asking the NCAA to miss that truth.
4 years in the past, it was possible his purpose to crack the rotation as a freshman. He achieved it. Now, he’s wishing he had that yr again.
Previous to the NIL period, redshirt seasons have been usually an undesired path for athletes as they stored gamers off the sector whereas probably extending the timeline to knowledgeable paycheck. Now, they’re being checked out as a option to become profitable whereas using the bench. How instances have modified!
