Stephen Daley Returns to Indiana's Defensive Line After Court Ruling on Eligibility

Indiana defensive end Stephen Daley, who thought his college career was over after a knee injury during the Big Ten championship postgame celebration in December, returned to practice Wednesday as the defending national champion Hoosiers opened summer camp.

His return came four days after a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado ruled that high school players from the 2022 graduating class could play a fifth college season. The NCAA has filed its intention to appeal the decision.

Coach Curt Cignetti said Daley will be limited at first. "He looks pretty good. He's on a modified program where he'll dress out for practice, participate in some individual right now, no 11-on-11, and then get with the strength and conditioning staff, who will bring him along until they feel confident he's ready to go," Cignetti said after the team's first summer practice. "I don't think it's going to be real, real long because he was training to be ready for next year in the (National Football) League, so it looks like he's in pretty good shape."

Daley, a Virginia native who transferred to Indiana after three seasons at Kent State, recorded 5 1/2 sacks, forced two fumbles, knocked down a pass and led the Big Ten with 19 tackles for loss last season, earning honorable mention all-conference honors. He started all 24 games in his final two seasons with the Golden Flashes.

The knee injury, suffered after Indiana's 13-10 victory over then-No. 1 Ohio State, kept him out of all three playoff games as the Hoosiers finished 16-0, the first team since the 1890s to do so. He went undrafted in April, opening the door to a return.

It is the second straight year Indiana may regain a starter through a legal ruling. Safety Louis Moore played in 2024 after rulings in an eligibility fight with the NCAA; he made the AP All-America second team and signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted rookie in May.

Daley joins a defensive line that includes Tobi Osunsanmi, Chiddi Obiazor and Josh Burnham, plus incumbent starters Tyrique Tucker and Mario Landino.

Asked whether Daley would be ready for the Sept. 5 opener against North Texas, Cignetti said, "I haven't even thought of that."

Cignetti also praised new quarterback Josh Hoover, the TCU transfer replacing Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza. Hoover has thrown for 9,629 career yards, the most of any returning FBS quarterback.