A pair of key Indiana defensive linemen are eligible to play in Saturday’s season opener after a state court temporarily blocked the NCAA and Big Ten from keeping them off the field.
Monroe Circuit Court Judge Kara Krothe issued a temporary restraining order Friday, restoring eligibility for Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt, as well as six other college athletes who challenged NCAA rules that prevented them from competing during the 2026-27 academic year.
The ruling means Daley and Wyatt can rejoin No. 6 Indiana when the defending national champion opens its season at home against North Texas.
Krothe wrote that the athletes should be returned to the positions they held following their most recent college seasons, provided they would otherwise have qualified to compete with an additional year of eligibility.
“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,” Krothe wrote.
A hearing on the athletes’ requests for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for Sept. 11, meaning Friday’s ruling does not permanently settle the dispute.
Daley and Wyatt initially returned to Indiana in August, before their eligibility was once again called into question. On Aug. 21, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit stayed a separate ruling that had granted another season of eligibility to qualifying athletes from the high school Class of 2022 who were excluded from the NCAA’s new eligibility framework.
Both players were important pieces of Indiana’s defense during its 16-0 championship season.
Daley recorded 19 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 13 games. A knee injury suffered in the postgame celebration following Indiana’s 13-10 victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game kept him out of the College Football Playoff.
Wyatt started seven games before a knee injury against Michigan State ended his season. He finished with eight tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
The other plaintiffs include Miami basketball player Malik Reneau; Indiana volleyball player Avry Tatum; Butler basketball player Yohan Traore; defensive back Jordan Johnson, who intends to play at Purdue, and Indiana swimmers Owen McDonald and Zalan Sarkany.
–Field Level Media
