Earlier this week, edge rusher Stephen Daley made headlines through his return to Indiana football via the recent injunction to allow a 5th year of eligibility for college athletes who graduated high school in 2022. Now, the Hoosiers’ defensive front gains another reinforcement, as edge rusher Kellan Wyatt will play a fifth year of college football in Bloomington, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Thursday.
Wyatt joined the Hoosiers prior to the 2025 season after transferring from Maryland, where he accumulated 80 tackles and 8.5 sacks across three seasons. The edge started the first seven games on the defensive line before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in Indiana’s 38-13 win over Michigan State last October.
Across his seven starts last season, Wyatt registered 2.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss. Daley took over the starting role after Wyatt’s injury, before missing the College Football Playoff with a knee injury of his own.
Daley was limited to begin fall camp this week, practicing on a “modified program,” which excludes 11-on-11 play, head coach Curt Cignetti said Wednesday.
While it remains to be seen how large of a role the duo of Daley and Wyatt will have early in the year after both suffered season-ending knee injuries last season, their presence provides the Hoosiers with heightened experience and depth up front.
With the return of Daley and Wyatt, Indiana projects to have one of the deepest edge rotations in the nation. The Hoosiers added three edge rushers through the transfer portal in the offseason, including Tobi Osunsanmi, Chiddi Obiazor and Josh Burnham. The Cream and Crimson also return junior edge rusher Daniel Ndukwe, who played a key role following Daley’s injury last season.
Follow reporters Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and columnist Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football offseason.
