Braxton Fely is headed back into college football, and this time the path runs through Oklahoma.
An Oklahoma state court granted a temporary restraining order on Thursday that gives the former Boise State defensive tackle eligibility for the 2026 season. Multiple reports say Fely intends to enter the transfer portal and play for Oklahoma as a fifth-year senior.
The ruling is the latest in a wave of temporary restraining orders tied to class of 2022 athletes seeking another season of eligibility. Fely is the latest name to benefit from that legal route.
At Boise State, Fely built a steady four-year resume. The 6-foot-1, 296-pound lineman appeared in 56 games and made 40 starts from 2022 through 2025. He was a key piece of Boise State’s 2024 team, the one that reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.
His production matched the role. Over four seasons in the Mountain West, Fely posted 67 tackles, including 20 for loss, along with 14 sacks, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick. He earned second-team all-Mountain West honors after both his junior and senior seasons.
Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson had already addressed the possibility of Fely returning when the school was exploring options for both Fely and cornerback Jeremiah Earby after a preliminary injunction opened the door for a fifth year for class of 2022 graduates.
“It’s just where college football is,” Danielson said in his pre-camp press conference. “There’s a lot of different things going on.
I really do believe there is going to be a settling of things. The five-for-five is going to be really good for college football, but changing it for the last year’s seniors now, the timing of it, it’s just a little bit difficult.
But we’re going to work through it with what’s best for our team.
“Obviously, fall camp is a big part of building, continuing to build on common unity and being a part of this fire. So if it’s going to happen, it’s going to have to happen here soon.”
Danielson also made clear where Boise State stood on the broader idea of bringing back former pro hopefuls.
“My opinion-and I know me and (athletic director Jeramiah Dickey) are aligned in this-if guys have, at the end of their senior year, went to the NFL camps or NBA and they didn’t make it, I don’t see those guys coming back to college. That’s not our model,” Danielson said.
“Especially for us with our team, this is our team. We put a premium on pouring into this group.
We’re not going to go look for guys that didn’t make the NFL to come back here. We’re going to put culture over everything.”
Fely had received a rookie minicamp invitation from the Denver Broncos, but John Wustrow of the Idaho Press reported last month that he never signed an NFL contract.
The SEC and several other conferences have already banned former NFL players from returning to college. The Pac-12 remains one of three FBS conferences that has not issued that ban.
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