Indiana DB Louis Moore Eligible for Rest of Season

Indiana football safety Louis Moore has been granted an injunction and is eligible to play for the remainder of this season.

Dallas County Court Judge Dale Tillery announced his decision today after four-and-a-half hours of arguments between Moore's attorney, Brian P. Lauten, and NCAA attorney Taylor Askew, and a near-two-hour deliberation.

"Thank you, God," Moore said Wednesday on X. "Let’s do it Hoosiers."

Moore twice had his eligibility request denied by the NCAA before the season. His argument centered around a Tennessee court's decision on Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, where the NCAA didn't count Pavia's two seasons in junior college against his four years of eligibility.

The 24-year-old Moore, a sixth-year senior, spent two years at Navarro Community College from 2020-21, which he feels shouldn't be added to his eligibility bank. After receiving three separate temporary restraining orders that spanned six weeks total, Moore has the final verdict on his right to play.

Moore leads the Hoosiers with 23 tackles, and he's tied for the team lead with two interceptions. His season, however, hasn't been without flaws.

During his press conference Monday, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti expressed displeasure with the performance of the Hoosiers' safeties, be it Moore, junior Amare Ferrell or redshirt senior rover Devan Boykin.

"All three of those guys, we just need them to do what they're supposed to do consistently," Cignetti said. "Prepare a little better, see what's going on, make the proper adjustments, communicate quicker and be where they're supposed to be.

"You can't play Tampa 2 coverage with a safety that's supposed to be on the right and he's on the left and no one is on No. 2 to the field."

In its 63-10 win over Illinois in Week 4, Indiana's defense allowed a 59-yard touchdown pass from Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer to receiver Collin Dixon, who ran free into an unoccupied level of the Hoosiers' secondary

D'Angelo Ponds, Indiana's All-American cornerback, started the snap guarding Dixon. Ponds said after the game the Hoosiers were in a Cover 3 defense where his responsibility is to pass the post to the midfield safety, which was Ferrell. But Ferrell, who began the play at nickel corner, covered his receiver through the end of the play and didn't switch with Ponds.

Indiana didn't allow another explosive passing play the remainder of the game — not because the Hoosiers fixed their issues, but because the Fighting Illini didn't capitalize. Cignetti believes future opponents certainly can, especially with a wealth of lapses offering a blueprint on how to do it.

"Look, we have some egregious mistakes on the back end, particularly at safety," Cignetti said. "We had about five of them in that game, and we only got exposed once because of them. If we don't clean those up, we're going to get fractured. And you can't put that stuff on tape."

Nonetheless, Indiana's secondary needed Moore. The Hoosiers lack experience between Moore and Ferrell on the back end, and highly touted freshman Byron Baldwin, a four-star recruit, hasn't played yet due to an undisclosed injury.

Now, as Indiana seeks to build on its 4-0 start, it has Moore — with a clear head for the first time this year — at his disposal.