It looks like Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris won’t be hitting the books anymore.
Morris, who is seeking a seventh year of NCAA eligibility, was denied by a Virginia circuit court judge for a preliminary injunction request on Thursday.
The 25-year-old QB sued the NCAA in Charlottesville Circuit Court in February to try to return to the Cavaliers for one more season after his extension of eligibility waiver and appeal were denied.
Morris has spent six seasons in college football with Oklahoma, TCU, North Texas and Virginia, helping lead the Cavaliers to 11 wins and the ACC Championship game in 2025.
“The NCAA is pleased by the court’s decision today, which protects the integrity of collegiate competition,” the NCAA said in a statement, according to ESPN. “As additional lawsuits challenging common-sense, academically-tied eligibility rules are filed, the NCAA will continue to defend against attempts to rob high school students across the nation of the opportunity to compete in college and experience the life-changing opportunities only college sports can create.
“The NCAA and its member schools are making changes to deliver more benefits to student-athletes, but the patchwork of state laws and inconsistent, conflicting court decisions make partnering with Congress essential to provide stability for all college athletes.”
Morris and his attorneys argued the NCAA wrongly denied a waiver for his 2022 season, in which he missed significant amounts of time after suffering a knee injury in TCU’s season opener.
He eventually returned from the injury and played in three more games as a backup, which included the College Football Playoff championship, but his attorneys argue that those appearances were part of a medically prescribed mental health treatment plan.
They added that the NCAA disregarded mental health treatment documents submitted on Morris’ behalf.
The NCAA argued that those treatment notes fell short of its standards because they did not come from a licensed psychologist, and also submitted an affidavit from ACC commissioner Jim Phillips asking the court to uphold the organization’s eligibility rules.
This ruling comes in a major win for the NCAA after Mississippi QB Trinidad Chambliss was cleared to return in 2026 after the Mississippi Supreme Court denied the NCAA’s appeal last week.
