Court Ruling Restores Eligibility

An Indiana circuit court judge on Friday issued a temporary restraining order clearing the way for Indiana defensive linemen Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt to play in the Hoosiers' season opener against North Texas. Judge Kara Krothe of the Monroe Circuit Court in Bloomington issued the order, enjoining the NCAA and its conferences from prohibiting any of the case's plaintiffs from competing in Division I athletics during the 2026-27 season.

The order was granted to eight athletes, including Daley and Wyatt, and prevents the NCAA from declaring them ineligible as a result of its decision not to extend the five-years-to-play-five eligibility reform to athletes from the high school class of 2022. The order also bars the NCAA from enforcing its "ghost transfer" rule and requires the transfer portal to open for seven days for the athletes to enter, should they wish.

"To be clear, it is the Court's intention to place Plaintiffs in the position they were in at the end of their last college sports season," Krothe wrote. "As long as they would have been eligible, academically and otherwise, to continue playing college sports in the following semester if they had a fifth year of eligibility, they are eligible today."

The order asserts that the plaintiffs have shown immediate and irreparable injury would occur before a hearing could be held, and that they have demonstrated a probable right to relief, with the threatened injury outweighing any temporary burden imposed pending an expedited hearing.

The restraining order is temporary; a hearing is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 11, at 9 a.m. in Monroe Circuit Court, where the court will consider the plaintiffs' motion for a temporary injunction.

Players' Backgrounds

Daley, a fifth-year senior from Winchester, Virginia, was third in the FBS with 19 tackles for loss last season, also recording 5.5 sacks, 35 tackles, and two forced fumbles. He moved into the starting lineup midway through the season but missed the College Football Playoff after suffering a knee injury during the celebration following the Hoosiers' 13-10 victory against Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game.

Wyatt, a senior from Glen Burnie, Maryland, had 28 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks last season before injuring his knee in a game against Michigan State. He has started 35 games in his career.

Neither player was drafted and neither signed with a professional team as an undrafted rookie.

Daley and Wyatt had returned to the Hoosiers in early August, but their status was in doubt after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit on Aug. 21 granted the NCAA's motion to overturn a lower court's ruling that granted another season of eligibility to Class of 2022 athletes excluded from the NCAA's new five-for-five rule. They were allowed to practice with the team while their status remained unresolved.

This case is just the latest in a series involving athletes from the class of 2022 who have sought extra eligibility in court. Indiana previously faced a similar situation with defensive back Louis Moore last summer, who was allowed to compete in the Hoosiers' first two games before being allowed to play the entire season.

Other Plaintiffs

The case in Monroe County also involves former Indiana basketball player Malik Reneau, now at Miami, an Indiana women's volleyball player, two Hoosiers swimmers, and a Butler University basketball player. Miami forward Malik Reneau, who led the Hurricanes with 18.9 points and 6.5 rebounds last season, is also a plaintiff.

Indiana opens its season on Saturday against North Texas at home. The Hoosiers finished last season with a 16-0 record and were ranked No. 6 in both major polls.