TRO paves way for Daley, Wyatt to return to IU — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Judge Kara Krothe of the Monroe Circuit Court issued a TRO Friday barring the NCAA and its conferences from prohibiting plaintiffs from competing in Division I athletics during the 2026-27 season on the basis that they've already played four seasons or didn't enter the transfer portal.
- Stephen Daley, a fifth-year senior defensive lineman, was third in FBS with 19 tackles for loss last season and added 5.5 sacks, 35 tackles, and two forced fumbles before missing three CFP games due to a knee injury sustained during the Big Ten championship celebration.
- Kellan Wyatt had 28 tackles, eight TFLs, and 2.5 sacks while starting seven games in 2025 before a knee injury ended his season; he has 35 career starts and is set to return alongside Daley on a defensive front for the defending national champions.
- A Sept. 11 hearing is scheduled to further consider the preliminary injunction motion, with other plaintiffs including Miami forward Malik Reneau (18.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg), an IU women's volleyball player, a Butler basketball player, and two IU swimmers.
- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit on Aug. 21 granted the NCAA's motion to overturn a lower court ruling that had granted a fifth season to Class of 2022 athletes excluded from the NCAA's new five-for-five rule, leaving Daley and Wyatt's status in limbo until the state-court TRO.
- The NCAA's Division I board decided in June the new rules would not apply to outgoing seniors to avoid displacing incoming freshmen who had signed before the rule change was made.
- No. 6 Indiana, which went 16-0 to win its first national title last season, opens the 2026 season at home Saturday against North Texas with Daley and Wyatt now eligible to suit up.
Why it matters: For Indiana, the TRO restores two starting-caliber defensive linemen to a defending national champion roster opening its season Saturday at home against North Texas. The case also exposes a widening split between federal and state courts on the NCAA's eligibility overhaul: the 10th Circuit sided with the NCAA on Aug. 21, yet dozens of athletes have successfully petitioned for state-court restraining orders — meaning individual state rulings now determine who plays this fall.
Ask SkimNews
