Tennessee basketball star Zakai Zeigler is seeking a fifth year of eligibility and he’s going to court to get it. Ziegler has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, according to a court filing in the Eastern District of Tennessee. Zeigler is the first notable non-junior college product to take legal action in the hopes of returning for the 2025-26 season.
“The lawsuit alleges that the NCAA’s rule permitting only four seasons of competition within the five-year eligibility window is an unlawful restraint of trade under federal and state antitrust laws,” a statement from Zeigler’s representation, Litson PLLC, said. “We have requested a preliminary injunction to allow Zakai to compete in the upcoming season while pursuing his graduate studies. We look forward to a swift resolution to this matter so that Zakai can begin preparing for next season.”
Zeigler graduated from the University of Tennessee in May after four years with the basketball program.
Zeigler’s lawsuit comes with the House vs. NCAA antitrust settlement decision looming in the background. There is a chance that the result of the case allows collegiate athletes to pursue an extra year of eligibility.
Several notable basketball players, such as Kansas’ Zeke Mayo, have entered their names into the transfer portal in spite of the fact that they have already exhausted their existing eligibility. Mayo explained via social media that he was “advised to enter my name into the transfer portal” due to the pending House vs. NCAA ruling.
Zeigler tore his ACL in February 2023, though he did not miss enough time to qualify for a medical redshirt. He started 67 games at Tennessee over the past two seasons and earned back-to-back SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors while guiding the Vols to consecutive Elite Eight appearances.
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