Court Ruling Opens Door For 2 Indiana Linemen To Play vs. Northwestern

An Indiana state court has opened the door for Indiana Hoosiers defensive linemen Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt to return to the playing field for Friday night’s Big Ten Conference opener against the Northwestern Wildcats.

Monroe Circuit Court Judge Kara Krothe issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday that grants Daley, Wyatt and more than 90 other athletes a fifth year of eligibility. The NCAA is expected to appeal.

For now, though, the ruling clears the way for Daley, Wyatt and dozens of others to return to action.

“The 2026-27 Division football, soccer, cross country, and field hockey seasons are underway,” Krothe wrote in a 37-page opinion. “Swimming and basketball seasons are fast approaching, with official practices for basketball beginning on September 21. 2026. Spring sports are around the comer.

She added: “Plaintiffs have secured roster spots, but will not receive scholarship aid or NIL payments until their eligibility is continued by court order. If relief is denied, they will lose their roster spots. College sports seasons are time-limited opportunities. Once lost, they cannot be restored, even if plaintiffs later prevail on the merits.”

Daley and Wyatt did not play in Indiana’s 38-0 victory over Western Kentucky last weekend because a temporary restraining order allowing them to compete had expired.

Both testified in court last week, but when the decision did not come down before the game, they were held out. Krothe’s ruling was expected this week.

Daley and Wyatt were starters on last season’s national championship team but suffered season-ending injuries before Indiana’s playoff run. Neither was selected in April’s NFL draft and neither signed an NFL contract to be part of either offseason workouts or training camp.

Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti has repeatedly said he supported the efforts of Daley and Wyatt to get an extra year of eligibility, and he alluded to it again after last weekend’s game.

“We’ve gotten better since the first game for sure,” Cignetti said. “You know, it sure will help if we have Wyatt and Daley. It’s hard to measure that. We’ll find out we think soon. But if not, we lost some key guys last year and other guys stepped up.”

Wednesday’s ruling is the latest twist in a chaotic start to the 2026 college football season, which has been mired in court fights across the country.

The NCAA announced in June it was going to adopt a new eligibility model allowing all athletes to compete for five college seasons over five years. The legal fights began when college sports’ largest governing body said the new model would not apply to the freshman class of 2022-23.

Colorado District Judge Charlotte Sweeney then ruled some members from that freshman class could receive a fifth year of eligibility, a decision that led some players in NFL training camps to consider resuming their college careers. Eventually, Sweeney issued a clarification that pro athletes were not covered by her ruling.

That decision was stayed in August by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, but lower courts, such as the one in Bloomington, have since entered the fray.

“Under the plain terms of the 2026-27 NCAA Manual, they are eligible to compete, and the NCAA is breaching its contractual obligations by denying them that opportunity,” Krothe wrote. “Harm to the NCAA by virtue of this injunction is minimal or nonexistent. The NCAA regularly grants waivers allowing athletes five years to play, sometimes for hundreds or thousands of athletes at time. This injunction covers less than one hundred athletes across a multitude of sports.”

Reporting by The Associated Press