Curt Cignetti, Indiana get massive eligibility news for 2026 season

The Indiana Hoosiers have to be feeling great. Defending a championship is no easy task, but Curt Cignetti and his team just got back a huge piece of the puzzle for the 2026 season.

Indiana announced on Tuesday that defensive lineman Stephen Daley is returning to Bloomington to play out his fifth season of college eligibility.

Indiana DL Stephen Daley taking advantage of new NCAA rule

Daley, a recruit from the class of 2022, is cashing in on a new preliminary injunction that is allowing 2022 student-athletes the chance to take advantage of the NCAA's new "5 in 5" eligibility rule.

The rule states that an athlete's eligibility clock starts when they enroll full-time into college, or at the beginning of the academic year following their 19th birthday — whichever comes first. From that point, they have five years to play five seasons. Traditional redshirt years and missed time due to injury still count against the five-year limit.

This rule was set to first impact the class of 2027, and there was no intention to grandfather in athletes who entered college in 2022 and still could play a fifth season.

That's where the preliminary injunction has come in, and Daley is one of the many 2022 recruits who are now hoping to use that injunction to play in 2026.