For the past several months, Indiana defensive linemen Kellan Wyatt and Stephen Daley have been locked in eligibility confusion. Both players had originally been ruled eligible for the upcoming season based on a temporary restarting order that allowed the pair to return to the Hoosiers in early August. However, that expired on Monday.
Both Wyatt and Daley were eligible for Indiana's first two games against North Texas and Howard, but now they aren't currently eligible for Week 3. According to Pete Thamel, both Wyatt and Daley aren't expected to be eligible for Saturday's contest against Western Kentucky.
Sources: Indiana’s Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt are not expected to be eligible this weekend as they await a judge’s injunction ruling. They had been eligible on a temporary restarting order that’s expired. The judge has indicated that her ruling on the injunction will not come… pic.twitter.com/yEsZEDQDyk
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 18, 2026
Thamel reports that Monroe Circuit Court Judge Kara Krothe has indicated that her ruling on the injunction will not come until next week. That was originally thought to be coming next Friday, but it has now been moved up to Monday.
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So hopefully this chaos can be resolved in plenty of time before Big Ten play begins. Indiana begins conference play on Friday, September 25 against Northwestern.
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This whole process got started in late July when a decision from a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado gave an additional year of eligibility to thousands of athletes in the high school Class of 2022. The ruling applied to athletes who had never redshirted and never signed a professional contract. Both Daley and Wyatt fit that criteria, and thus, they were declared eligible.
However, the NCAA won a legal appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in August, which put a pause on the eligibility of both Daley and Wyatt. But then the temporary restraining order from the Monroe Circuit Court once again made both Daley and Wyatt the go ahead to play, until it expired on Monday. Back and forth we go.
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Indiana should be fine without Wyatt and Daley in Week 3, as the Hoosiers have a talent edge over the Hilltoppers at every position. However, it's especially frustrating to be ruled eligible for certain games, but not for others. This should not be happening in the middle of the season, and it is a particularly bad look for the NCAA.
Daley was third in all of college football with 19 tackles for loss last season. He also added 5.5 sacks, 35 tackles, and a pair of forced fumbles. He suffered a season-ending knee injury following the Big Ten Championship Game against Ohio State. So far this season he has appeared in both IU games and recorded 6.0 tackles.
Wyatt hasn't recorded any stats yet this season. He has 35 starts under his belt in his career, and recorded 28 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks while starting seven games last season. He suffered a season-ending knee injury against Michigan State on October 18.
Getting both Daley and Wyatt back for Big Ten play would make Indiana's defensive front even more dangerous. Kick-off between the Hoosiers and Hilltoppers is slated for 4 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
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