Two-Time SEC Defensive Player of the Year Sues NCAA Over NIL Loss
Tennessee guard and two-time SEC defensive player of the year Zakai Zeigler has recently filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, seeking a fifth year of eligibility. After leading Tennessee to the Elite Eight, Zeigler argues that denying him an additional year would result in a loss of $2-4 million in potential NIL compensation. Zeigler is one of the top guards in all of college basketball, and simply seeking an extra year of eligibility isn’t the most unreasonable ask. Multiple players similarly to Zeigler are petitioning the NCAA for an additional year over missed NIL. Indiana’s Luke Goode and Kansas’s Zeke Mayo are two examples of players who have completed four years of college basketball but feel like they could both benefit from NIL opportunities if granted an extra year. While it’s unlikely Mayo’s gets approved, Goode has a legitimate case for that extra year.
This lawsuit challenges the NCAA’s “four seasons” rule, which permits athletes to compete in four seasons within a five-year window, typically allowing a fifth year only if a player redshirts one season. However, Zeigler is filing that although he completed four full seasons at Tennessee, this is unfair to athletes who can’t fully maximize their NIL opportunities. His legal team contends that all athletes should be allowed to compete and earn NIL compensation during each year of the five-year eligibility window, not just those granted a redshirt year. This lawsuit is similar to and references a case by Vanderbilt Quarterback Diego Pavia, who successfully obtained an injunction allowing him to play an additional season, arguing that the NCAA’s eligibility rule unlawfully limited his ability to profit from NIL.
If this lawsuit is successful, Zeigler could set a precedent for future athletes seeking additional eligibility to maximize their NIL earnings, potentially prompting the NCAA to reevaluate its eligibility rules in the context of the evolving NIL landscape. Zeigler has the chance to be the pioneer when it comes to settlements with the NCAA. In the current day of college basketball, we’re witnessing unprecedented conditions that are one of a kind. Zeigler has been an unbelievable leader for Tennessee and in the Knoxville community, based on the opportunities he’s been given with NIL. Rick Barnes would love to have his safety blanket and lead senior guard back for another year to try and capture that first-ever Final Four for the University of Tennessee.
