Indiana football gets major NCAA eligibility ruling for two key defenders.
IndianaStephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt are eligible again after a favorable court ruling in Indiana's ongoing NCAA case. Indiana football 's defensive line depth got a major boost Wednesday thanks to a win in a local courtroom .
The ruling opens the door for Daley and Wyatt to play Friday night against Northwestern . They had to sit out a 38-0 win over Western Kentucky as they awaited a ruling.
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The new NCAA "five-for-five" guidelines allow student-athletes to play five seasons in five calendar years, but the rule excluded student-athletes from the 2022 high school class, even if they fit the criteria for an additional year. Daley and Wyatt returned to Bloomington when the U.S. District Court of Colorado issued a class-wide preliminary injunction on July 31, 2026 to prevent the NCAA from excluding their high school class.
KEY POINTS
- Indiana football gets major NCAA eligibility ruling for two key defenders.
- Monroe County Circuit Court judge Kara Krothe issued a preliminary injunction against the NCAA in the eligibility case involving 97 student-athletes, including IU defenders Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt , per court records.
- Daley and Wyatt were eligible for the fourth-ranked Hoosiers ' first two games this season because of a temporary restraining order that expired Sept. 14.
- Going into the 2026-27 academic year, the NCAA eliminated the traditional redshirt rule and various hardship waivers in favor of an age-based eligibility framework.