The NCAA’s effort to shut down the eligibility of three IU athletes for now has run into a brick wall.
On Friday, the Indiana Court of Appeals denied the organization’s emergency request to stay the preliminary injunction that Monroe County Circuit Court judge Kara Krothe granted to IU football’s Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt, along with IU basketball’s Sam Alexis. With that request rejected, all three players - and the full group of 97 student athletes in the case - remain eligible to compete.
The NCAA is already appealing Krothe’s preliminary injunction. In seeking the stay, it wanted the lower court ruling paused until the appeal is heard and decided. The Appeals Court said the NCAA’s emergency motion for the stay “is denied.”
That matters because declining to issue a stay suggests the court does not believe the NCAA would face irreparable harm if the athletes keep playing while the case moves forward. It also points to the possibility that the NCAA is not likely to prevail on appeal.
Daley, Wyatt and Alexis are all members of the class of 2022 and exhausted their college eligibility during the 2025-26 athletic year. That class was left out of the NCAA’s new five-year eligibility rule, which was approved this summer. Their exclusion sparked lawsuits around the country, including the Indiana case.
The NCAA has argued in several cases that class of 2022 athletes should not be allowed to compete because their participation would cost roster spots for other eligible players. But that argument has not carried weight in this situation, since Daley, Wyatt and Alexis have not displaced anyone on their teams. No Indiana football or basketball player was removed to create room for them.
For now, the ruling leaves the three IU athletes eligible, and the timeline for the Appeals Court’s full review remains unknown. Until that happens, their status stays intact.
In Other News...
Curt Cignetti Has Indiana Chasing A Milestone Against Ohio State
Curt Cignetti has turned Indiana football into a program with real staying power in just over two seasons, guiding the Hoosiers to a 33-2 overall record and a 20-1 mark in Big Ten play. Along the way, he has matched the total number of wins former coach Tom Allen reached in Bloomington, a striking comparison given Allens 33-49 record across his tenure.
Now Indiana gets another chance to add to that climb when Ohio State comes to town, a matchup that already carries plenty of weight after the Buckeyes beat the Hoosiers in conference play but later lost to them in the Big Ten Championship Game. A win would give Cignetti his 34th at Indiana and move him past Allen on the programs all-time list, which is part of why this one feels like more than just another high-profile league game. [Read more 🡒]
Indianas Biggest Test Yet Carries Massive Stakes Against Ohio State
Indianas unbeaten start survived another scare with a 20-17 escape over Nebraska, and the reward is a stage that has been looming for months. The Hoosiers are 6-0 again, just as they have been in each of Curt Cignettis first three seasons, and theyre carrying a 22-game winning streak into a visit from No. 4 Ohio State in Bloomington.
This one brings far more than conference standings into play. Indiana gets the Buckeyes in a rematch of the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game, which means the Hoosiers are not only trying to protect their perfect record, but also see how they stack up against the program standing between them and the top-tier credibility theyve been building toward all season. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Faces Its Biggest Test Since That Ohio State Breakthrough
Indiana gets another shot at proving the Ohio State breakthrough was more than a one-off when the Buckeyes come to Bloomington for a top-five showdown with major national weight. The Hoosiers have put themselves in position for a meaningful late-season stage, and now they get a rematch with the program that has long controlled this series. Both teams arrive with strong records and rankings, which only adds to the sense that this one could help shape the Big Ten race and the wider playoff picture.
For Indiana, the challenge is familiar but the stakes are even bigger. Ohio State has owned this matchup for years, but the Hoosiers already showed last season in the Big Ten Championship that the gap is not as fixed as history suggests. With a College Football Playoff path still in view for both sides, Bloomington is about to find out whether Indiana can back up that recent win and turn one eye-opening result into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]