Will they or won’t they? That’s the question surrounding Indiana defenders Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt. No, this isn’t a Ross & Rachel situation. The will they or won’t they for this situation is whether they’ll be available to play for the Hoosiers when they travel to Lincoln on October 10 for what should be a duel against undefeated Nebraska.
The situation has supposedly been settled a couple of times now, since the two players benefited from a Colorado court ruling that declared all Class of 2022 eligible to play the upcoming 2026-27 season. The suit came about after the NCAA approved its new age-based eligibility model. However, the players were originally eligible for Indiana’s first two games. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, however, granted the NCAA’s request for a stay, pausing the ruling for all Class of 2022 recruits who do not otherwise have another temporary injunction.
That forced Daley and Wyatt to seek another ruling on Wednesday, which again found them eligible for the rest of the season. That would, of course, allow them to play against Nebraska, should Indiana decide to go that route. However, the NCAA is once again trying to get that ruling tossed, filing an emergency motion to stay the preliminary injunction a judge in Monroe County Circuit Court issued Wednesday.
Such is the mess college football is these days. It’s a pain for Indiana, but it’s also a pain for opponents like Nebraska, who don’t know from one week to another whether they’ll be facing off against certain players.
Nebraska football awaits ruling on Indiana defenders Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt
This is likely one reason head coach Matt Rhule has stayed away from staging this kind of fight with any of the players he’s brought in through the Transfer Portal or regular recruiting.
Indiana won’t be a particularly easy opponent even if the Huskers don’t have to go up against Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt. Perhaps the Hoosiers don’t want to have to plug a big hole in the lineup if the players are once again found ineligible; Daley has appeared in just two games and tallied 32 snaps and 6 tackles. Wyatt has appeared in just one game and tallied 9 snaps and no statistics.
Despite the two veteran defenders getting very little playing time, Indiana has rolled out to a 3-0 record by beating North Texas 52-16 and then pitching back-to-back shutouts against Howard (55-0) and Western Kentucky (38-0).
Indiana and Nebraska will both open Big Ten play this weekend. The Huskers take on Michigan State while the Hoosiers face Northwestern. Indiana then gets Rutgers, while Nebraska draws Maryland, and then the potential showdown between two 5-0 teams kicks off.
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