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Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris is suing the NCAA for a seventh year of eligibility, his agent told CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer. The lawsuit came after the NCAA shot down Morris’ waiver request in January.
Morris filed the suit in Virginia state court. His argument centers on injuries he suffered at TCU during the 2022 and 2023 seasons – he’s claiming he should’ve qualified for medical redshirts in both years. He played four games in 2022 and seven in 2023 after taking a redshirt in 2021.
The 2020 season at Oklahoma didn’t count against his eligibility clock. That’s because of a one-time waiver the NCAA granted all athletes due to COVID-19.
Morris stayed on the field for complete seasons at North Texas and Virginia over the past two years. He put up 3,774 passing yards and 31 touchdowns in 2024, leading the American conference in both categories before making the jump to the ACC.
The transition worked out pretty well.
Morris helped guide Virginia to its first 11-win season in program history and a spot in the conference championship game. The Cavaliers climbed to No. 14 in the College Football Playoff rankings at one point last season – they would’ve locked up an automatic berth if they’d beaten Duke in the ACC title game.
If a court sides with Morris against the NCAA’s eligibility rules, he could return to Virginia with legitimate CFP hopes. That’s a real possibility given how the Cavaliers performed last season.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an athlete take the NCAA to court over eligibility. These cases have basically dominated the early offseason in college football, though results have been all over the place.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss got a temporary injunction from a Mississippi judge that’ll let him play another season with the Rebels. He’s coming off a strong debut campaign as one of the SEC’s top quarterbacks. Chambliss made a similar argument to Morris – he said a respiratory condition kept him from competing in 2022.
Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar wasn’t as fortunate. His request for injunctive relief got denied in a ruling that the NCAA probably views as a big win.
Aguilar’s case was different, though. He argued that his time in junior college shouldn’t count against his NCAA eligibility clock. That’s the same argument former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia used successfully in a landmark case last offseason.
Morris is betting the courts will see things his way. Given the injuries at TCU and the the precedent other quarterbacks have set, it’s not a stretch to think he’s got a shot at returning for one more season.
