An Indiana circuit court judge issued a temporary restraining order Friday that clears the way for defensive linemen Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt to return to the Hoosiers this season.
The order, issued by Judge Kara Krothe of the Monroe Circuit Court in Bloomington, Indiana, enjoins the NCAA and its conferences from prohibiting any of the case’s plaintiffs from competing in Division I athletics during the 2026-27 season on the basis that they’ve already competed in four seasons or didn’t enter the transfer portal.
“To be clear, it is the Court’s intention to place Plaintiffs in the position they were in at the end of their last college sports season,” Krothe wrote in her ruling. “As long as they would have been eligible, academically and otherwise, to continue playing college sports in the following semester if they had a fifth year of eligibility, they are eligible today.”
A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 11 to further consider the motion.
Miami forward Malik Reneau, who led the Hurricanes
Miami forward Malik Reneau, who led the Hurricanes with 18.9 points to go with 6.5 rebounds last season, is also a plaintiff in the case, along with an Indiana women’s volleyball player, a Butler basketball player and two IU swimmers.
Daley and Wyatt had returned to the Hoosiers in early August, but their status with the defending national champions had been in limbo after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit on Aug. 21 granted the NCAA’s motion to overturn a lower court’s ruling that granted another season of eligibility to Class of 2022 athletes who had been excluded from the NCAA’s new five-for-five rule.
The stay did not wipe out the dozens of athletes who have successfully petitioned for restraining orders to play a fifth season in state courts around the country.
Daley, a fifth-year senior from Winchester, Virginia,
Daley, a fifth-year senior from Winchester, Virginia, was third in the FBS with 19 tackles for loss last season. He also had 5.5 sacks, 35 tackles and two forced fumbles. He sustained a knee injury during the celebration following the Hoosiers’ 13-10 victory against Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game and missed three CFP games.
Wyatt, a senior from Glen Burnie, Maryland, had 28 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He started seven games in 2025 before sustaining a knee injury in a 38-13 victory against Michigan State. He has started 35 games in his career.
The NCAA’s Division I board of directors decided in June that their new rules would not apply to outgoing seniors, saying that an influx of unexpected veterans returning to campus would unfairly take opportunities away from incoming freshmen who had already signed to play with their new schools before the rule change was made.
The No. 6 Hoosiers, who went 16-0 to win their first national title last season, open the season against North Texas at home Saturday.
ESPN’s Dan Murphy contributed to this report.
Source: www.espn.com
