Indiana got a major lift on Tuesday afternoon when Stephen Daley announced he is coming back for a fifth season.
The edge rusher’s return strengthens a defensive line that was already expected to be one of the Hoosiers’ best units. Daley arrived from Kent State during the offseason and quickly became a difference-maker as the 2025 season unfolded. He started the year in a rotation, then kept earning more snaps as his impact grew, especially after starter Kellan Wyatt suffered a season-ending injury.
By the end of the regular season, Daley had put himself at the top of the Big Ten and into a tie for the national lead in tackles for loss. He finished with 19 tackles for loss, along with 41 quarterback pressures, 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Ten of those tackles for loss came over Indiana’s final three regular-season games.
Daley’s season ended early after he suffered a knee injury during the postgame celebration following Indiana’s Big Ten Championship game win over Ohio State. That injury kept him out of the entire College Football Playoff and also cost him a chance to get an NFL training camp opportunity this summer.
Before the injury, defensive coordinator Bryant Haines was as high on Daley as anyone.
“I think when he got hurt, and I’m biased, I think he was the best defensive end in college football,” Haines said. “I really believe that.
Just the amount of disruption he was causing. You can look at the numbers if you wanted to argue that, but I think statistically what you’ll see is that was the best defensive end in college football when he got hurt.”
Daley’s return is possible because of a federal injunction that gives all class of 2022 athletes the chance to play a fifth college season.
He now joins a defensive end group that already looked loaded. Indiana is bringing back Daniel Ndukwe and Mario Landino, both with experience on the outside, and also added transfers Chiddi Obiazor (Kansas State), Tobi Osunsanmi (Kansas State) and Joshua Burnham (Notre Dame).
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Indiana Fans Have A New Reason To Rally Around Curt Cignetti
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The ranking also gives Hoosier fans a fresh reason to circle the calendar as the new season approaches. Indiana opens against North Texas, and the early buzz around the program will only grow if the Hoosiers can turn preseason respect into a fast start. Cignetti has already helped shift the conversation around Indiana, and now the challenge is proving the ranking was more than just offseason optimism. [Read more 🡒]