MADISON, Wis. — Nyzier Fourqurean, a cornerback for the Wisconsin Badgers, has stated that he could earn significant compensation, possibly “hundreds of thousands” of dollars, if he is granted an injunction that allows him to keep his eligibility and play this fall.
During a hearing in U.S. District Court on Tuesday, he asserted that his previous two seasons at Grand Valley State, a Division II program, should not be counted against his college eligibility.
In his testimony, Fourqurean mentioned earning $5,000 through name, image, and likeness (NIL) arrangements in 2023, and projecting $45,000 for 2024. Although he did not provide specific figures for 2025, he indicated that it could amount to “hundreds of thousands.”
Under cross-examination, however, Fourqurean acknowledged that there was no formal contract outlining how much he would earn if he played at Wisconsin this season.
With an impending deadline for opting out of the NFL draft, he hopes to receive a ruling on his eligibility request soon. His legal battle commenced after the NCAA turned down a request from Wisconsin for a waiver granting him an additional year of eligibility.
Judge William Conley did not make an immediate decision but expressed his understanding of the urgency due to the draft deadline.
Conley had requested information regarding Fourqurean’s potential earnings as his case heavily revolves around the impact of NIL opportunities that would be forfeited if he does not receive more eligibility. Notably, Fourqurean stated he did not receive any NIL compensation while at Grand Valley State.
This case follows a recent federal ruling that provided Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who spent two years at a junior college, the opportunity for an additional year of eligibility. Although the NCAA is appealing the Pavia decision, it has since issued a waiver allowing athletes who have played at non-NCAA institutions for more than a year to compete for one more season if they would otherwise exhaust their eligibility by 2024-25.
Conley highlighted that a key difference here is that Pavia played at a non-NCAA junior college, while Fourqurean’s previous experience was at an NCAA institution, albeit outside of Division I.
The judge also pointed out the risk of granting an injunction that might later be overturned by another court, which could leave Fourqurean without any eligibility and with no path to the NFL draft.
Fourqurean’s attorney, Michael Crooks, expressed hope that in such an event, the NCAA might adopt a similar approach as in the Pavia case, allowing for an extra year of eligibility during the appeal process.
Fourqurean joined Grand Valley State in 2020 but had his season canceled due to the pandemic. He competed in the following two seasons before transferring to Wisconsin in 2023.
In his recent legal complaint, he mentioned that the passing of his father in 2021 had a detrimental effect on his mental well-being, which in turn hampered his offseason training during that period. Although he appeared in 11 games for Grand Valley State, he played only 155 snaps.
The NCAA’s legal representatives argued against considering snap counts, stating that doing so could open the door for any former Division II backup to seek similar waivers for their eligibility.
The 2021 season concluded before the NCAA changed its rules in 2023, allowing Division II athletes to redshirt if they played in three games or fewer. According to Fourqurean, participating in any game that season resulted in him exhausting his eligibility for that year.
Last season at Wisconsin, he had 51 tackles and one interception, starting all 12 of the team’s games. He was a starting player in five of the last six games of the 2023 season.
Coincidentally, on the same day as Fourqurean’s hearing, baseball player Trey Ciulla-Hall, who also began his college career at a Division II institution, submitted a complaint in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts asking for an additional year of eligibility to play at Maryland.
Ciulla-Hall spent the last four seasons at Stonehill College and faced a similar setback when the NCAA denied Maryland’s request for a waiver seeking another year of eligibility for him. His complaint noted participation in one extra game in 2021 from a misunderstanding regarding the COVID season competition rules at the Division II and III levels, along with financial challenges he faced while assisting his family through his mother’s illness.