Chandler Morris eligibility lawsuit: Judge denies Virginia QB’s request for preliminary injunction

Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris’ request for a preliminary injunction was denied, Jacquie Franciulli reported. He had filed a lawsuit arguing for a seventh year of eligibility.

Morris filed the lawsuit in February after the NCAA denied his waiver to play in 2026. He argued he was due a medical redshirt due to injuries he dealt with at TCU in 2022 and 2023. Morris played just four games in both seasons and said he should have qualified for a medical redshirt.

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After the judge’s ruling on Thursday, he will not be eligible to play for UVA in 2026. It marks another legal win in an eligibility case for the NCAA. While the association has seen mixed results in the courtroom, it has come out on the right end of the majority of eligibility lawsuits.

As of Feb. 20, 57 eligibility lawsuits had been filed. College athletes had 31 preliminary injunctions denied compared to 12 that were granted, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.

Judges granted preliminary injunctions to athletes such as Diego Pavia and Trinidad Chambliss while denying others, such as Joey Aguilar and Charles Bediako, were not. An Alabama state judge notably granted Bediako’s temporary restraining order, but a different judge denied his injunction.

More on the Chandler Morris lawsuit

The NCAA pushed back as Chandler Morris sought a seventh year of eligibility. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips also filed an affidavit arguing against another year for Morris as he spoke in strong support of the rules currently in place.

In his affidavit, Phillips cited the NCAA’s Five-Year Rule, which allows athletes five calendar years to complete four seasons of eligibility. While he noted the association can grant waivers in certain situations, he argued changes to the NCAA’s eligibility rules could have a much larger impact.

“These rules, enacted through the NCAA membership’s legislative process, reflect the informed judgment of hundreds of educational institutions to protect the distinctive character of collegiate athletics and the opportunities it presents for college athletes,” Phillips wrote.

“Consistent application of these standards promotes fair competition, supports sound program planning and administration across institutions and conferences, and sustains the differentiated product that is college sports. … I respectfully ask the Court to uphold the NCAA’s eligibility rules, which are essential to the integrity of college sports and to the educational mission they serve.”

Chandler Morris began his college career in 2020 at Oklahoma before three years at TCU from 2021-23. He then at North Texas in 2024 and transferred again to Virginia in 2025. Morris used his COVID year and a redshirt year in that window, but the NCAA denied his medical redshirt, which would have given him the seventh season.

Morris put up his best numbers at North Texas in 2024 when he threw for 3,774 yards and 31 touchdowns, to 12 interceptions. In 2025, he threw for 3,000 yards and 16 touchdowns, to nine picks, at Virginia while helping the Cavaliers to the ACC title game.