Oklahoma Linebacker Mike Balogun May Strike Eligibility Deal With NCAA

Linebacker Mike Balogun might play his final season of eligibility at Oklahoma after all.

Balogun, 25, and the NCAA have sparred over his eligibility for more than a week after information came to light that the linebacker played semi-professional football after the age of 22. But Balogun's attorney, Woody Glass, told The Oklahoman that he is working on an agreement with the NCAA that would allow his client to play this season. A court hearing on Monday at an Oklahoma District court in connection with the temporary restraining order Balogun has against the NCAA was canceled, fueling speculation that the two parties are near an agreement.

"Our hope is to get all this information that I've uncovered the last several weeks back to the NCAA," Glass said to The Oklahoman, "and let them make a decision."

Balogun, a former junior college transfer, is competing for time as a backup to starter Ryan Reynolds.

The NCAA de-certified Balogun over a week ago after receiving a tip from Florida State, and then getting conflicting information on when he last played for a Maryland semi-pro team from a former assistant coach of the team. The assistant coach said Balogun played during the 2005 season, after initially telling NCAA investigators he didn't play after the 2004 season. A Web site mentions Balogun playing in a championship game during the 2005 season and another Web site has him playing in an All-Star game that year.

NCAA rules state that if a prospective student athlete plays in a semi-pro league beyond the age of 21, he will lose a year of eligibility for each year he played, which would end Balogun's collegiate career.

Balogun, however, has insisted through his attorney that he did not play semi-pro football in Maryland beyond 2004. He enrolled at Lackawanna Community College in 2006, where he starred for two seasons before being offered a scholarship to play for the Sooners.

Balogun informed the NCAA of his semi-pro playing career prior to enrolling at Oklahoma in 2008 and was certified in May 2008. He appeared in 10 games for the Sooners last year, including a start in the BCS national title game against Florida.

Balogun has been allowed to continue practicing with the Sooners since filing the temporary restraining order against the NCAA last Monday.