Indiana Court Order Allows College Athletes to Play Extra Season
| Court Order | An Indiana judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking NCAA eligibility limits for several Division I athletes. |
|---|---|
| Athletes Impacted | Plaintiffs include Indiana football players Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt, along with Miami basketball player Malik Reneau. |
| Next Hearing | A court hearing on the preliminary injunction is scheduled for September 11. |
A state court judge in Indiana has issued a temporary restraining order allowing several college athletes to compete during the 2026–27 academic year, temporarily blocking restrictions enforced by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Monroe Circuit Court Judge Kara Krothe issued the ruling on Friday in Bloomington, Indiana. The order enjoins the NCAA and its member athletic conferences from prohibiting the case’s plaintiffs from participating in Division I sports on the grounds that they have completed four seasons of competition or failed to enter the transfer portal.
In her decision, Krothe wrote that the court intended to “place Plaintiffs in the position they were in” at the end of their previous competition season, provided they met standard academic and institutional eligibility requirements.
A court hearing to further evaluate the motion is set for Sept. 11.
Athletes Covered Under the Decision
The temporary order applies to student-athletes across multiple sports programs. Among the plaintiffs are Indiana University defensive linemen Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt, University of Miami men’s basketball forward Malik Reneau, a Butler University men’s basketball player, an Indiana women’s volleyball player, and two Indiana swimmers.
Daley and Wyatt rejoined the Indiana football team in early August, but their eligibility remained in question following federal court rulings. Daley, a fifth-year senior from Winchester, Virginia, recorded 35 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 19 tackles for loss last season, ranking third in the Football Bowl Subdivision for tackles for loss. He missed three College Football Playoff games after injuring his knee during post-game celebrations following Indiana’s 13-10 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship. Wyatt, a senior from Glen Burnie, Maryland with 35 career starts, registered 28 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks in 2025 before a knee injury limited his season.
Reneau was Miami’s top performer last season, averaging 18.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
NCAA Regulations and Ongoing Litigation
The legal dispute follows a June decision by the NCAA Division I board of directors, which determined that new eligibility rules would not extend to outgoing seniors. NCAA leadership argued that permitting an unexpected return of fifth-year veterans would improperly deny roster spots to incoming freshmen who had signed national letters of intent.
The regulatory landscape was further complicated on Aug. 21 when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit granted an NCAA request to stay a lower court ruling that had granted another year of competition to Class of 2022 athletes. However, the federal stay did not overturn temporary restraining orders granted by state courts, allowing individual athletes to continue seeking relief under state jurisdiction.
Background
The court ruling comes as Indiana University, ranked sixth nationally, prepares to start its football season against North Texas. The Hoosiers finished 16-0 last season to capture the program’s first national championship.
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