From the perspective of Rick Barnes, Tennessee Basketball and Zakai Zeigler himself, having the four-year starting point guard receive a fifth year of eligibility would be huge for the Vols. Zeigler is suing the NCAA for the rights to having exactly that, arguing not being allowed to is an anti-trust violation that limits his financial potential.
He’s making the wrong case.
At the heart of Zeigler’s case is that players who redshirt or receive an extra year due to injury, sometimes an extra two years due to both, can stay up to six years in the NCAA. His team is arguing that it’s an anti-trust violation to allow that but not players who played all four years when those players’ earning potential is greater as they get older.
Simply put, Zeigler’s team is making the case that everybody should have five years of eligibility, maybe six, no matter what. He’s not even using the junior college lawsuit Diego Pavia used. However, even in an NIL age, that’s not rational. Eligibility requirements for anywhere you might make money are allowed, and the NCAA is no different.
The real case Zeigler should make is that he was originally a member of the Vols’ 2022 recruiting class. Zeigler chose to reclassify to the 2021 class for Tennessee Basketball and backed up Kennedy Chandler that year. If a player finishes high school a year early, he could argue he limited his earning potential based on that eligibiliity.
Think about it. Zeigler went to college less mature than he would have been, so his production was not at its peak over a four-year period. The argument could be there is a reward for players able to finish their high school credits early and graduate. In that situation, five years of eligibility is warranted.
Of course, there are some educational drawbacks to this, as many other players would go out of their way to finish school before they should, but doing so takes a lot of work and effort. It could actually incentivize working harder in the high school classroom.
There’s also the fact that Zeigler was indeed 18 when he arrived on campus at UT, and it’s not like players lose a year of eligibility if they go to prep school for a season after high school, which does happen. As a result, the NCAA will still have a case, but there’s no denying Zeigler could have a strong case on his own.
Perhaps a player who reclassifies can count his first year as a redshirt, whether or not he plays, but he doesn’t get a sixth year if he actually does redshirt that year. There are multiple compromises the NCAA could work out with Zeigler’s team in a settlement that wouldn’t blow up eligibility requirements.
With or without Zeigler, Tennessee Basketball seems to be set at point guard next year with Maryland Terrapins transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie and true freshman Troy Henderson, who is the new Zeigler. However, having Zeigler back would give Barnes more options with his rotation. It won’t happen with the argument he’s making, though.
