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Zakai Zeigler is suing the NCAA over an eligibility issue following his senior year at Tennessee. He believes he’s entitled to one more season in Knoxville as he’s still within his five-year window.
Unfortunately, the season he’s hoping to play doesn’t exist. He effectively exhausted his four years of eligibility in the Volunteers‘ most recent run to the Elite Eight.
The premise of NCAA eligibility is simple. Student-athletes have a five-year window to successfully complete four seasons of play. Once the four years of competition are met, eligibility is gone.
The fifth year allows for redshirt seasons, particularly for freshmen entering Year 1 of their college careers. Redshirts are not, however, required.
Zakai Zeigler did not utilize a redshirt season with the Vols. He played four consecutive campaigns from 2021-2025. He averaged more than 22 minutes per game and appeared in at least 30 games in each instance.
Despite having one year left in his five-year window, his playing time has expired. He’s now challenging that NCAA ruling in court.
Zakai Zeigler is suing the NCAA
Another eligiblity lawsuit has been filed against the NCAA, this time by Tennessee basketball’s Zakai Zeigler.
This is something of a twist from the formula: Zeigler, who has played at UT since his true freshman year in 2021, seeks a fifth year within his eligibility window. pic.twitter.com/DVyM6OsGUN
— Sam C. Ehrlich (@samcehrlich) May 20, 2025
Zeigler claims that he’s entitled to a fifth year despite having already played 138 games across four seasons. His reasoning? He wasn’t given the opportunity to redshirt when others were.
“Through the redshirt system, the NCAA institutions – not athletes – largely control who gets access to the fifth year of eligibility, strategically ‘banking’ eligibility for some athletes while denying it for others, without consideration, based purely on institutional preference and benefit.”
Tennessee needed Zeigler in Year 1. He appeared in 35 games as a freshman. Had he taken the season off, not only would he have saved a year of eligibility, but he would’ve been able to collect a paycheck, too.
NIL plays a large role in the lawsuit. Zeigler claims to have made $150,000 as a freshman, a number that increased each year up to a $500,000 payment as a senior. Now, he believes his value sits anywhere between $2-4 million.
“Based on projections from Spyre Sports Group, the NIL collective associated with the University of Tennessee, Zeigler’s NIL valuation for the 2025-26 season ranges from $2 million to $4 million. This valuation reflects the market value of an upperclassman with a proven performance record and high visibility, especially in a high-profile conference like the SEC.”
Zakai Zeigler argues that players who redshirt can still receive NIL payment. He didn’t get that opportunity. He also just missed out on the COVID blanket waiver that gave players in 2020 an extra season of competition.
His value now is certainly more than what it was when he entered college as a freshman. The market has changed, as have his experience and production. Does the lawsuit have a chance? Tennessee wouldn’t mind seeing Zeigler suit up one more year.
This is far from the first eligibility issue the NCAA has been forced to deal with this year. Last fall, Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia successfully battled for his JUCO career to be scrubbed from the record. He was granted one more year to play his fourth D1 season in Nashville.
That win has led others to fight for their playing time. South Carolina transfer running back Rahsul Faison recently lawyered up in pursuit of an extra season. He’s surpassed his five-year window but has only played in three seasons. He seeks a fourth and final year in Columbia.
Zakai Zeigler’s situation is interesting because unlike most prior cases, he has played four years at the D1 level. He’s essentially asking the NCAA to overlook that fact.
Four years ago, it was likely his goal to crack the rotation as a freshman. He achieved it. Now, he’s wishing he had that year back.
Prior to the NIL era, redshirt seasons were often an undesired path for athletes as they kept players off the field while potentially extending the timeline to a professional paycheck. Now, they’re being looked at as a way to make money while riding the bench. How times have changed!