Indiana DL Stephen Daley, Kellan Wyatt again eligible after receiving injunction following expiration of TRO

Fifth-year defensive linemen Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt are once again eligible to play for No. 5 Indiana, according to multiplereportsWednesday. The duo had to sit out last week’s win over Western Kentucky because the temporary restraining order that cleared the way for them to take the field earlier this season had expired.

style="text-align: left;">Now they, along with Miami basketball player Malik Reneau and several other student-athletes, have been granted a preliminary injunction in a 97-plaintiff eligibility case against the NCAA in Indiana’s Monroe Circuit Court, where Daley and Wyatt were previously given the TRO.

style="text-align: left;">Daley and Wyatt, among the many athletes from the 2022 high school class hoping to capitalize on a fifth year of eligibility after the NCAA adopted an age-based, five-year eligibility model, can resume their final go-arounds in Bloomington on Friday, when the Hoosiers welcome in Northwestern for a primetime matchup.

style="text-align: left;">That new “five-for-five” system was designed to eliminate waivers and redshirts and prevent a logjam of athletes hovering around their mid-20s from taking up roster spots. Essentially, the change was made in order to streamline eligibility rules. The NCAA had to draw a line in the sand somewhere and decided that anyone who exhausted their eligibility during the 2025-26 academic year wouldn't be grandfathered in.

style="text-align: left;">But that exclusion has been argued profusely in court since.

style="text-align: left;">Judge Kara Krothe, who issued the injunction against the NCAA, determined that the “plaintiffs all remain within the window of their five-year Eligibility Clock for the 2026-27 school year.”

style="text-align: left;">Krothe also wrote, via ESPN’s Pete Thamel: “Under the plain terms of the 2026-27 NCAA Manuel, they are eligible to compete, and the NCAA is breaching its contractual obligations by denying them that opportunity.”

The judge in Indiana's conclusions include: Plaintiffs Face Irreparable Harm. Also, this about the new NCAA Manuel: "Under the plain terms of the 2026-27 NCAA Manuel they are eligible to compete, and the NCAA is breaching its contractual obligations by denying them that… https://t.co/47xFYMLkadpic.twitter.com/Zvpff8BUwE

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 23, 2026The NCAA is expected to appeal, per Thamel.

style="text-align: left;">The NCAA has won a stay in some of its eligibility cases, including a class-action suit filed in federal court, where a Colorado judge had granted all players who were part of the 2022 high school class a fifth year of eligibility.

style="text-align: left;">Before that original ruling was overturned, Daley and Wyatt returned to Indiana this summer. While Daley notably missed the Hoosiers’ magical College Football Playoff run, he was instrumental in their perfect 2025 season. In fact, he registered 5.5 sacks and a Big Ten-leading 19 tackles for loss, plus two forced fumbles, across the 13 games he appeared in.

style="text-align: left;">Daley’s combined for six total tackles in the two games he’s played in this season. Wyatt, however, has yet to log a defensive statistic during the 2026 campaign, although he played sparingly in Week 2 versus Howard. In seven games last season, Wyatt — who transferred in from Maryland and made an impact off the edge — chipped in 2.5 sacks and eight TFLs for the Hoosiers.

style="text-align: left;">They’ll both be available for the reigning national champions on Friday against Northwestern, thanks to their latest victory in court.