With the season opener against North Texas almost here, it appears that Indiana's official roster is still in the works. Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt have been in back-and-forth legal battles regarding their eligibility for the last few weeks, and now a bit more clarity has been brought to the situation.
On Friday afternoon, the Monroe Circuit Court in the State of Indiana issued a temporary restraining order for NCAA eligibility. The ruling impacts a number of athletes, including both Daley and Wyatt. Long story short, Daley and Wyatt have both been granted a fifth year of eligibility.
BREAKING: Several athletes, including Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt, have been granted a temporary restraining order in circuit court in Indiana. Daley and Wyatt are eligible to play this weekend against North Texas. #iufb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) September 4, 2026
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.
However, things took a turn in August when the NCAA won a legal appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. That put a pause on the eligibility of both Daley and Wyatt. But now, the temporary restraining order from the Monroe Circuit Court once again makes both Daley and Wyatt eligible.
It's important to note that this is not the same situation as the one we are still seeing play out at LSU. Down in Baton Rouge, the Tigers are trying to bring first-year NFL players who have signed professional contracts and played in NFL preseason games back to college football. That is very different from Daley and Wyatt coming back to Indiana.
Will Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt play in Week 1?
Now that they are eligible mere hours before kickoff against North Texas, will Daley and Wyatt play on Saturday? That remains to be seen. Both are coming off season-ending injuries from last season. They've been practicing with the Hoosiers throughout fall camp, so it will be interesting to see where they fall on Indiana's defensive depth chart.
The Hoosiers already boast plenty of returning production and experience on the defensive front, as well as a pair of impact transfers in Tobi Osunsanmi and Chiddi Obiazor. Adding Daley and Wyatt to the mix only adds to that advantage. At this point, if Daley and Wyatt do play it will likely be sporadically. It is definitely a situation worth monitoring.
Daley was among the best defensive linemen in the country last season before suffering a season-ending injury following the Big Ten Championship Game. Through 13 games, he was tied for the national lead with 19 tackles for loss. In total, he racked up 38 tackles, 19.0 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles on the season. His return is a game-changer for the Hoosier defense.
Wyatt started 7 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Michigan State. In those contests, Wyatt totaled 27.0 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. In his collegiate career, Wyatt has 107 tackles, 23.0 tackles for loss, 11.0 sacks, and a pair of forced fumbles to his name over 42 total games with Maryland and Indiana.
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