Zakai Zeigler is suing the NCAA for another year of college basketball

DrewFranklinKSR

zakai-zeigler-lawsuit-ncaa-tennessee — Tennessee's Zakai Zeigler (5) blows a kiss to the crowd during Senior Day presentations after a men’s college basketball game between Tennessee and South Carolina at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center, Saturday, March 8, 2025.

We thought we had seen the last of Zakai Zeigler when his Tennessee Vols ended Kentucky’s season in the second weekend of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Zeigler, who played four years that felt like eight at Tennessee, graduated with a four-year degree in May. The 5-foot-9 guard played in 138 college basketball games over those four years at Tennessee, averaging 11.3 points and 5.4 assists in his career as a Vol. He ranks third in SEC history in career assists (747).

So, what’s next for the longtime Tennessee point guard? More college basketball, he hopes. Zeigler recently filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, seeking more eligibility on top of his 138 games in four years (34.5 games per season).

From the Knoxville News Sentinel:

“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. “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 of this matter so that Zakai can begin preparing for next season.”

A retail and merchandising management major, Zeigler intends to enroll in graduate school while extending his playing career. He did not enter the transfer portal during the spring portal window, so a return to Knoxville would be likely if he wins the suit, barring a special waiver to explore other options.

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Tennessee already has its 2025-26 floor general in All-Big Ten point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie from Maryland, but Rick Barnes has room to welcome Zeigler back if this wild scenario plays out in Zeigler’s favor.

Tennessee doesn’t play by the rules

What is it with Tennessee trying to kill college athletics? First, the new state law ignoring the NCAA’s NIL rules. Now, Zeigler files a lawsuit to ignore the traditional four-year college career. The Vols are the most defiant athletics program in the NCAA. They can’t get away with this.