Zakai Zeigler has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA seeking a fifth year of college eligibility.
The former University of Tennessee point guard is suing college sports’ governing body over rules limiting him to four seasons in a five-year window as an unlawful restraint of trade under both federal and Tennessee laws, per multiple reports.
Zeigler is arguing that he will suffer irreparable harm without immediate court relief, as schools are currently finalizing rosters and settling NIL agreements for next season. The suit claims Zeigler could earn up to $4 million if eligible in the 2025-26 season based on an analysis from Spyre Sports Group, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
A third-team All-American last season and a two-time SEC defensive player of the year, Zeigler guided the Vols to a 109-36 record during his tenure at the school. The Vols reached the NCAA Tournament in each of those four seasons, advancing to the Regional Final in each of the past two years.
In 37 games last season, Zeigler averaged 13.6 points, 7.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.
He was honored in March during the Vols’ Senior Day, and Zeigler graduated from Tennessee earlier this week with a degree in retail and merchandising management.
Unlike the lawsuit filed in 2024 by Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who was eventually awarded another year of eligibility, Zeigler’s situation doesn’t involve a perceived lack of eligibility due to playing in junior college before transferring to the Division I ranks.
Instead, Zeigler is essentially battling against the NCAA’s redshirt rule, which allows a fifth year of eligibility, but only as long as a player saw limited time in one of his first four seasons. Zeigler finished his degree in four years without a redshirt, but is arguing that he now has to miss a fifth season — which would likely be the best NIL (name, image likeness) window of his career.
“We have requested a preliminary injunction to allow Zakai to compete in the upcoming season while pursuing his graduate studies,” according to a statement from Zeigler’s counsel, the Garza Law Firm and Litson PLLC, that was distributed to media. “We look forward to a swift resolution of this matter so that Zakai can begin preparing for next season.”
The NCAA responded in a statement by saying the association supports all student-athletes profiting from their name, image and likeness and receiving new financial benefits from their schools, in addition to the many current benefits they get.
But the NCAA also noted that it is seeking new national guidelines moving forward.
“A patchwork of different state laws, executive orders and court opinions make it challenging for any league to operate on a fair playing field, including at the conference level and that’s why partnering with Congress to develop a national standard would provide stability for student-athletes and schools everywhere.”