An Indiana state court judge issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, that allows Indiana University defensive linemen Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt to compete in Friday's game against Northwestern. Monroe Circuit Court Judge Kara Krothe’s ruling grants Daley, Wyatt, and more than 90 other athletes a fifth year of eligibility.
The legal dispute centers on the NCAA’s new \"five-for-five\" eligibility model, which allows athletes to compete for five seasons over five years. The NCAA announced in June that the model would not apply to students who were freshmen during the 2022-23 academic year. This prompted lawsuits in multiple jurisdictions, including Indiana and Colorado, where athletes argued the exclusion was a breach of contract.
Daley and Wyatt were previously held out of a September 19 game against Western Kentucky because a temporary restraining order had expired. In her 37-page opinion, Judge Krothe noted that the athletes had secured roster spots but would not receive scholarship aid or Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) payments—compensation for the use of an athlete's personal brand—without the court order.
The scale of the impact is currently limited to the 97 plaintiffs named in the suit, though it follows similar legal challenges in other states. For the specific Indiana football players, the ruling restores their ability to contribute to the No. 4 ranked Hoosiers’ defense immediately. While the NCAA argues the injunction is a breach of its regulatory authority, Judge Krothe characterized the harm to the NCAA as \"minimal,\" noting the organization already grants thousands of individual waivers annually.
The broader effect involves the stability of NCAA eligibility rules. The 2026 season has seen conflicting rulings; while a Colorado judge initially supported similar eligibility extensions, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit stayed that decision in August. The NCAA is expected to appeal the Indiana ruling. A final decision on the merits of the breach of contract claim will follow the preliminary injunction at a later date.