A Monroe County judge has put the NCAA’s new eligibility system on hold, and that decision could put Indiana football defenders Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt back on the field as soon as Friday night.
Judge Kara Krothe issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday in the case involving 97 student-athletes, according to court records. The ruling blocks the NCAA’s “five-for-five” rule for now and allows the athletes covered by the lawsuit to keep playing while the case moves forward.
For Indiana, that matters immediately. Daley and Wyatt were forced to sit out the Hoosiers’ 38-0 win over Western Kentucky while they waited on the court’s decision. With the injunction in place, they now have a path to return against Northwestern.
The lawsuit takes aim at the NCAA’s newer eligibility setup, which is built around an age-based model going into the 2026-27 academic year. Under the “five-for-five” framework, athletes can compete in five seasons over five calendar years. But the rule left out members of the 2022 high school class, even if they otherwise met the requirements for an extra year.
Indiana’s involvement in the case stretches beyond football. Swimmer Owen McDonald, volleyball player Avry Tatum and men’s basketball player Sam Alexis are also plaintiffs.
Alexis was added to the complaint during a court hearing Monday, part of an agreement between lawyers for the NCAA and the student-athletes. He has since withdrawn from a separate eligibility lawsuit he had filed in Tennessee.
Earlier this week, Indiana’s five athletes in the case testified about how they would be affected if the court did not step in.
The NCAA is expected to appeal Krothe’s ruling.
In Other News...
Indianas Big Ten Opener Just Got A Huge Eligibility Twist
The lead-up to Indianas Big Ten opener picked up an unexpected off-field wrinkle this week, as a Monroe Circuit Court judge granted a preliminary injunction that keeps three Hoosier athletes eligible for competition. IU football players Kellan Wyatt and Stephen Daley are among the athletes covered, along with IU basketball forward Sam Alexis, after the temporary restraining order in the broader lawsuit against the NCAA expired and left them waiting on the next court ruling.
For Indiana football, the timing matters most because the injunction allows Daley and Wyatt to play in the upcoming conference game. The case involves 97 athletes, so the decision reaches beyond Bloomington, but the immediate effect is on a Hoosiers team that suddenly has two more available pieces as it gets ready for league play. [Read more 🡒]
Indianas Frontcourt Picture Just Changed As NCAA Faces New Fight
A Monroe County Circuit Court ruling this week has added another layer to the college basketball offseason, and Indiana is right in the middle of it. Judge Kara Krothe granted a preliminary injunction to nearly 90 athletes in the state, opening the door to a fifth year of eligibility and putting several familiar names back in the conversation for another season.
For Indiana, the ripple effects could matter in a frontcourt that is still taking shape as roster decisions continue to evolve around the sport. The ruling reaches beyond one program and could alter the late-summer landscape across the country, though the NCAA is expected to fight it on appeal and keep the issue tied up a while longer. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Receivers Delivered In The Win But One Bigger Concern Remains
Indiana football got the kind of result it needed at Memorial Stadium, rolling past Western Kentucky 38-0 while shaking off a sluggish first half with a much sharper finish. The offense leaned on quarterback Josh Hoover, who completed 18 of 24 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns, and the overall performance review showed a team that settled in as the afternoon went on. For a group that has been looking for steadiness, the second-half response offered a useful reminder that the pieces can fit when the tempo and execution are both there.
The receivers were part of that story, delivering enough to help Indiana turn a tight, uneven start into a comfortable win. Even so, the broader grading of the quarterbacks, backs, line play and defensive front pointed to one larger issue that still lingers beneath the scoreboard. Indiana showed it can overwhelm an opponent once it finds a rhythm, but the more important question is whether it can avoid the kind of early stretch that leaves bigger concerns hanging around for another week. [Read more 🡒]