Stephen Daley returning to Indiana football after preliminary injunction
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Indiana football received a boost to its defensive line depth on Tuesday, Aug. 4, thanks to the recent preliminary injunction granted to all class of 2022 student-athletes by a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado.
The Hoosiers announced former defensive lineman Stephen Daley, who led the team with 19 tackles for loss in 2025, will return to the program for the 2026 season. Daley played four seasons of college football without redshirting, the first three of which for Kent State before transferring to Indiana.
Daley is the latest player taking advantage of the preliminary injunction granted by judge Charlotte Sweeney. The NCAA's new "five-for-five" eligibility ruling that essentially rids the sport of redshirts is now applying to class of 2022 players like Daley thanks to the court decision.
Daley also had 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles last season, although he was held out of the College Football Playoff after suffering a serious knee injury while celebrating in the aftermath of Indiana's Big Ten championship win over Ohio State. His 19 tackles for loss were the third most nationally. He'll bolster an interior defensive line group led by first-team All-Big Ten selection Tyrique Tucker.
The Hoosiers went 16-0 last season with their first national championship in school history, and are looking to repeat in 2026-27, albeit with a reloaded roster after losing Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, among other high-end NFL draft picks.
Stephen Daley stats
Here's a look at Daley's year-by-year stats in college:
- 2022 (Kent State): four total tackles with a sack
- 2023 (Kent State): 48 total tackles with a sack
- 2024 (Kent State): 51 total tackles with four sacks and a forced fumble
- 2025 (Indiana): 35 total tackles with 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stephen Daley returning to Indiana football after preliminary injunction
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