A federal court ruling on Friday could reshape college rosters across the country, and Indiana is squarely in the middle of it.
Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado granted a class-wide preliminary injunction that requires the NCAA to treat all athletes from the high school class of 2022 as eligible for the 2026-27 season. The class certification covers “All persons in the United States who began to play in collegiate sports in the 2022-2023 season, competed in NCAA Division I sports, and completed four years of eligibility as defined by the NCAA’s prior rules by the conclusion of the 2025-2026 season, and are therefore barred from playing a fifth season due to the NCAA’s adoption and immediate implementation of the Five-Year Eligibility Rule,”
The ruling lands after the NCAA adopted its five-year eligibility model this summer, but did not grant an extra year to class of 2022 athletes who would have run out of eligibility under the old rules during the 2025-26 academic year.
For Indiana football, that opens the door to a long list of players from the 2025 team who now have a fifth year available: linebacker Aiden Fisher, defensive end Stephen Daley, defensive end Kellan Wyatt, wide receiver Elijah Sarratt, tight end Holden Staes, wide receiver Jonathan Brady and punter Mitch McCarthy.
There is, though, a major asterisk attached to that list. Fisher and Sarratt were both drafted in April and have already signed contracts, so a return to college appears highly unlikely even if they are eligible. Brady is at the Las Vegas Raiders’ training camp.
Daley and Wyatt both missed time in the 2025 season because of injuries, and if they’re healthy they would be significant pieces. Staes also stands out because every tight end on Indiana’s roster is either a freshman or redshirt freshman.
The ruling also sets up a transfer portal window for affected players from August 3-10. That means no player has to stay at Indiana, and the IU staff can also go after newly eligible players from other programs.
There is still more legal movement possible. The NCAA could issue a blanket waiver for class of 2022 athletes to cut down on the uncertainty, or it could appeal the Colorado ruling, which would keep the situation in flux in the coming weeks. Indiana fans have already seen a similar eligibility fight unfold before, when safety Louis Moore sought and eventually won an extra year.
The ruling reaches Indiana basketball too. Sam Alexis and Reed Bailey are both in the class of 2022 and had already been seeking an injunction to return to college. Alexis got an injunction ruling on Friday in a Tennessee case, and both players are covered by this broader federal decision as well.
Indiana women’s basketball is also affected, with Shay Ciezki covered under the ruling even though she has played in the WNBA this season.
The NCAA responded quickly. President Charlie Baker renewed his push for the Protect College Sports Act, which would give the NCAA antitrust protection on eligibility issues.
“Today’s rulings and the chaos they bring to college sports are exactly why it’s time to pass this bill,” Baker said.
Later Friday, the Big Ten Conference and Southeastern Conference issued a joint statement backing the Protect College Sports Act as currently written after “detailed and productive negotiations with Senators Cruz, Cantwell and Schmitt, and their respective staffs.”
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