An Indiana circuit court granted a temporary restraining order Friday, granting eligibility for fifth-year senior defensive linemen Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt, per court records.
Both players exhausted their NCAA eligibility following the 2025 football season, but Daley and Wyatt but were initially made eligible following an August injunction granted in a Colorado lawsuit that made all high school class of 2022 athletes eligible for the 2026 season. That injunction was later paused, leading the pair to seek eligibility through a filing in the Monroe Circuit Court.
The TRO prohibits the NCAA from enforcing bylaws that would make the players ineligible on the basis of already playing four collegiate seasons
The case was filed Friday, paving the way for the TRO to be issued the same day. The court found the plaintiffs had shown evidence that "immediate and irreparable injury will occur before notice can be served and a hearing held."
The Big Ten implemented a rule Aug. 25 to prevent professional athletes from returning to the NCAA. However, Daley and Wyatt's injuries separate them from the rule.
Since both players were injured, neither participated in the NFL Draft process nor an NFL training camp. Because neither player signed an NFL contract, both would've been eligible for another season under the NCAA's new eligibility rules.
"To be clear, it is the Court’s intention to place Plaintiffs in the position they were in at the end of their last college sports season," Judge Kara E. Krothe wrote in the TRO. "As long as they would have been eligible, academically and otherwise, to continue playing college sports in the following semester if they had a fifth year of eligibility, they are eligible today."
Wyatt suffered a knee injury Oct. 18 against Michigan State that kept him sidelined for the remainder of the season. Daley’s injury came later, occurring in the aftermath of the Hoosiers’ victory Dec. 6 in the Big Ten Championship game against Ohio State.
A hearing centered on a potential preliminary injunction is set for 9 a.m. on Sept. 11 at the Charlotte Zietlow Justice Center, with Judge Krothe presiding. The injunction would extend their eligibility throughout the entire season.
Daley and Wyatt's return will add to an already strong Indiana defensive line group. In 2025, Daley led the Hoosiers with 19 tackles for loss in his 13 games played. Wyatt added eight in seven games.
Additionally, the TRO grants another year of eligibility to Indiana swimmers and NCAA-medalists Owen McDonald and Zalán Sárkány, as well as Indiana volleyball's First Team All-Big Ten opposite hitter Avry Tatum.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football offseason.
