Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman granted a temporary restraining order Sept. 3, clearing eight college athletes to compete in 2026-27 under a fifth year of eligibility.

The ruling, issued at 3:23 p.m. from the Cleveland County Courthouse, came roughly 24 hours before No. 10 Oklahoma opens its football season against UTEP on Sept. 4 on the SEC Network.

OU defensive tackle Danny Saili and former Sooners first baseman Dayton Tockey are the two Oklahoma athletes named in the suit. The other six plaintiffs are former Tulsa receiver and running back Braylin Presley, Wisconsin cornerback D'Yoni Hill, University of North Carolina safety Gavin Gibson, Lehigh University defensive lineman TJ Burke, Stephen F. Austin linebacker Jaydon Southard and ETSU linebacker Ty Anderson.

The lawsuit targets the NCAA's "Five-for-Five Rule," adopted by the organization's governance structure this summer. The rule gives Division I athletes five years to compete after high school graduation. The plaintiffs argue the NCAA excluded members of the high school graduating class of 2022.

Saili, a 6-foot-1, 280-pound transfer from Arkansas, committed to OU through the transfer portal in August and had been practicing with the team while awaiting a ruling. A Colorado judge ruled in July that class-of-2022 athletes qualified for a fifth season, but the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed that decision, leaving Saili ineligible until Balkman's order Thursday.

Head coach Brent Venables praised Saili during an SEC teleconference call on Sept. 3 before the TRO was issued.

"He's done a good job. He knows how to play d-tackle … That jumped out at you right away," Venables said, according to Sooners Wire. "His fundamentals, his precision, his quickness … he really picked things up well, remarkably well."

Saili is the only plaintiff currently enrolled at OU, The Oklahoman reported. He saw action in 11 games for Arkansas last season, registering 10 tackles, a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries.

Tockey helped OU win the 2026 College World Series. He appeared in 43 games, making 34 starts at first base and batting .250 with nine home runs and 23 RBIs. His signature moment: a walk-off home run that eliminated No. 2 overall seed Georgia Tech in regionals, the OU Daily reported.

Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny told The Oklahoman the Sooners will not add any player who has signed a professional contract or who would violate the SEC intraconference transfer rule. OU was evaluating all other circumstances but would not have anything certain until it declared its roster Thursday night.

Burke, Hill and Gibson all intend to transfer to OU, according to the OU Daily. Southard is considering a transfer to Oklahoma. The transfer portal is open for one week for the eight athletes covered by the TRO.

Balkman also ruled earlier in 2026 in favor of OU linebacker Owen Heinecke in a separate NCAA eligibility lawsuit, clearing Heinecke to return for a sixth college season.

The TRO makes the athletes temporarily eligible. A full injunction hearing has not been scheduled but will be set soon, according to multiple reports. OU hosts UTEP at 7 p.m. Friday.