D.J. Wingfield has decided to take his case to court as the NCAA continues to bar him the ability to play college football this season. The NCAA is stating that he is not eligible for any additional seasons after completing his allotted five, with an extra year of eligibility granted due to COVID-19. However, Wingfield is pleading his case as his first two seasons were at a junior college.
USC OL DJ Wingfield has officially filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, seeking a temporary injunction for a 6th year of eligibility, @latimes can confirm.
— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) July 28, 2025
The suit alleges Wingfield would lose out on $210,000 in NIL money by not playing this season at USC. @PeteNakos_ was first
Winfield played his first two seasons of college football for El Camino Junior College in California and became one of the hottest JUCO recruits in the 2022 class. He went to New Mexico but was injured in his first season in 2022. In the 2023 season, he appeared in nine games in a fairly forgettable season for the Lobos, only winning four games.
He then transferred to Purdue and started at right guard for all 12 games for the Boilermakers. After the season ended, he decided to pursue another transfer and compete for a starting spot on the USC Trojans. Now, the NCAA is saying he is out of eligibility even though he has a very similar case to Diego Pavia, who was granted extra seasons due to JUCO years.
D.J. Wingfield is pleading the case of Diego Pavia as he takes the NCAA to court
He was denied his waiver by the NCAA and then rejected his appeal, leaving him with only one remaining avenue: suing the NCAA. The complaint filed discusses lost NIL money in the amount of $210,000 and cites the "Five-Year Rule," which allows players to compete for five seasons but only play four. With the JUCO years not counting, as in other cases (Pavia).
"“The effect of the NCAA’s anticompetitive conduct will be to penalize Wingfield for having attended a junior college and for the disruptions caused by the pandemic. The NCAA’s anticompetitive conduct, coupled with its unreasonable denial of Wingfield’s meritorious request for a waiver, thus threatens him with immediate irreparable harm.”"Winfield's Official Complaint
There are numerous cases that challenge the NCAA, which often feel like they are pushing the NCAA to new heights and stretching its ability to grant waivers. However, the bridge that Wingfield is trying to cross has already been built on the backs of other players.