Can a 25-year-old play a seventh college season? Texas QB sues NCAA

Chandler Morris has played football at nearly every level in Texas — from Highland Park to Texas Christian University and North Texas.

Now, the 25-year-old quarterback is fighting for his right to play a whopping seventh season of college football.

Morris, a former TCU and UNT quarterback and the son of Lake Travis High School’s two-time state champion coach Chad Morris, has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA seeking a seventh season of eligibility. According to college football reporter Ross Dellenger, Morris filed the suit in Charlottesville Circuit Court, arguing the NCAA should have granted him a medical redshirt for the 2022 season.

At the center of the case: whether his injury-shortened season should count against his eligibility clock.

Morris was TCU’s starting quarterback in 2023 before suffering a knee injury. His attorneys argue that the NCAA should have granted a medical redshirt in 2022, saying both his physical and mental health were at risk.

Why this matters in Texas

Texas produces more Division I football players than almost any other state. Eligibility battles like Morris’ could affect how future redshirt and medical hardship cases are handled — including for athletes at programs across the state.

Morris’ case comes as other athletes challenge NCAA eligibility limits. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was granted a preliminary injunction Feb. 12 that awarded him an extra year of eligibility after a legal battle over a medically sidelined season.

In 20+ years of law practice, I've never seen opposing counsel leave the court before the decision was rendered. That's bizarre. https://t.co/Z1Q8LQS0xF

— We Run the Sip (@OMRebelNation) February 12, 2026

What are the NCAA eligibility rules?

Under NCAA rules:

• Athletes get four seasons of competition.
• The five-year eligibility clock starts when a player first enrolls full-time in college.
• The clock runs continuously, even if a player redshirts, transfers or does not compete.
• Division II uses a 10-semester rule.
• Division III limits participation to four seasons but does not use a five-year clock.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the NCAA granted all athletes an additional year of eligibility.