Houston Cougars quarterback Case Keenum has decided to petition the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility.

UH announced Monday it is putting together the necessary paperwork to file an appeal on Keenum’s behalf to obtain a medical waiver to play in 2011.

Keenum, a fifth-year senior from Abilene, is fifth on the NCAA career passing yardage list (13,587). He suffered a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a 31-13 loss to UCLA in the third game.

An eighth-place finisher in the 2009 Heisman Trophy voting and the UH career passing leader, Keenum underwent surgery Sept. 29. He completed 42 of 64 passes for 636 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions this season before suffering his injury.

“After talking this over with my family and people close to me, I have decided to try for another year of eligibility,” Keenum said in a statement released through UH. “This ending wasn’t exactly what I predicted for my senior year, and because I care so much about this team and this university, I would love to be able to play one more season.

“I don’t know what the outcome will be, but I at least want to see the whole process through. I thank coach (Kevin) Sumlin and the athletic department for their help in this appeal.”

According to the NCAA Division I Manual, the policy on granting waivers is as follows:

Nick de la Torre/Houston Chronicle

“A waiver of the five-year period of eligibility is designed to provide a student-athlete with the opportunity to participate in four seasons of intercollegiate competition within a five-year period. This waiver may be granted, based upon objective evidence, for reasons that are beyond the control of the student-athlete or the institution that deprive the student-athlete of the opportunity to participate for more than one season in his

her sport within the five-year period.”

The NCAA does not consider taking a redshirt year, which Keenum did in 2006, to be beyond an athlete’s control.

There is no specific timeline in which UH must file the appeal or the NCAA must rule. Some deadlines do loom for Keenum, though. For Keenum to be eligible to play in 2011, he’d have to be enrolled in school next spring. The session starts Jan. 18, with students having until Jan. 25 to add classes. He is on course to graduate in December, with the NFL draft set for April 28-30.

The draft falls almost seven months to the day after Keenum’s surgery. The recovery time for ACL surgery often tends to run at least eight or nine months. Another variable for Keenum is that the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement expires next March, opening the possibility of the owners locking out the players next season.

Sumlin said he would have no comment beyond a statement he released through the school: “Case has been such a big part of this team for the past five years and has done so many things to positively promote the Houston program. I was excited to hear that he wanted to come back next season, and I know his teammates were thrilled as well. We are going to do everything we can to support him through the waiver process.”

steve.campbell@chron.com