Zakai Zeigler has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA seeking a fifth year of eligibility after his Tennessee basketball career concluded.
The lawsuit requests a preliminary injunction to allow Zeigler to compete in the 2025-26 season, arguing that he will suffer irreparable harm without immediate injunctive relief as schools are currently finalizing rosters and settling NIL agreements. It claims Zeigler could earn up to $4 million if eligible in the 2025-26 season based on an analysis from Spyre Sports Group.
Zeigler’s lawsuit attacks the NCAA’s redshirt rule, which allows a player a fifth year of eligibility as long as the player sat out a year of competition. Zeigler played four consecutive seasons and did not redshirt but argues that he should be allowed a fifth year of eligibility and earning potential instead of being essentially punished for not redshirting.
It notes that the fifth year is “the most lucrative year of the eligibility window for the vast majority of athletes.”
“All NCAA athletes should be eligible to compete and earn NIL compensation during each year of the five-year window — not just those selected to redshirt,” the court filings state.
The lawsuit indicates that Zeigler is not challenging the five-year eligibility window, but the four-year competition window within the five years. It notes that Zeigler’s class is the first class in the NIL era to “have their ability to engage in commerce truncated to four years” because prior classes were granted an extra year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“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,” Zeigler’s counsel from The Garza Law Firm and Litson PLLC said in a statement.
Zeigler averaged 11.3 points and 5.4 assists in his four seasons with the Vols. He shot 33.1% on 3-pointers.
The 5-foot-9 guard had his best season as a senior, averaging 13.6 points and 7.4 assists. He set the Tennessee record for assists when he notched his 227th against Texas in the SEC Tournament to break Rodney Woods’ record that stood for 50 years.
The Wyandanch, New York, native holds the Tennessee record for assists with 747, which ranks third in SEC history. He broke Johnny Darden’s record with his 716th assist in Tennessee’s first-round NCAA Tournament win against Wofford. He also set the Vols record for steals with 215, which is tied for eighth in SEC history.
Zeigler’s 7.4 assists per game in 2024-25 ranks as the fourth-most in a season in UT history. Only Darden and Woods averaged more in a season.
Zeigler won back-to-back SEC defensive player of the year awards and is the only player in conference history to be a four-time all-defensive team selection. He was named first-team All-SEC in his junior and senior seasons after being a second-team pick as a sophomore.
Zeigler came to Tennessee as an unknown. The Vols added him in August prior to the 2021-22 season after seeing him excel at Peach Jam in Augusta, Georgia, months prior. Barnes expected to redshirt Zeigler since the Vols had five-star Kennedy Chandler. Zeigler forced the issue and became a Tennessee fan favorite as a freshman.
The undersized point guard took four-hour train trips in high school to play basketball. He skirted paying for fares he could not afford by jumping turnstiles and hiding in train car bathrooms. He bounced between places to stay when his family lost their home. He nearly gave up on basketball before Peach Jam, which ultimately changed his life.
The Zeiglers lost their home in a fire in New York City in February 2023. A GoFundMe raised more than $360,000 before it was stopped. The Zeigler family moved to Knoxville and bought a house, where they continue to reside.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.