Tenth Circuit grants NCAA stay request: How it impacts Indiana University’s Sam Alexis, Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt The latest twist in an effort to play a fifth season by class of 2022 athletes arrived via a court decision Last Friday morning. And it directly impacts the game eligibility of IU football defensive ends Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt. The nationwide injunction that cleared a path for Daley and Wyatt to play for the Hoosiers this fall has been stayed by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. The stay reverses a federal judge’s decision that previously opened the door for all athletes who started college in the 2022-23 academic year and played for four consecutive seasons to return for a fifth season. Until the case has been heard by the appeals court, Daley and Wyatt are no longer eligible to play in games in 2026.
Meanwhile, IU basketball’s Sam Alexis is not impacted by the federal decision. Alexis’ eligibility was covered by a state injunction in a Tennessee court, and an NCAA attempt to stay that injunction pending an appeal was denied. Alexis is currently eligible, but his pursuit of a fifth season could still be overturned via an appeal, however. Both Daley and Wyatt were at IU’s practice Friday morning ahead of the news. They should be able to continue practicing with the team amid the uncertainty but are not eligible for games at the moment.
How this plays out is anyone’s guess at this point. Daley and Wyatt could seek their own injunctions in a manner similar to Alexis, or they could wait for the outcome of the NCAA’s appeal. It is not clear when the appeal will be heard in the Tenth Circuit. While they can certainly help, getting Daley and Wyatt for a fifth season was a luxury for Curt Cignetti’s team. The Hoosiers are already stacked along the outside of their defensive line, with Chiddi Obiazor, Tobi Osunsanmi, Daniel Ndukwe and Josh Burnham all with meaningful experience and in line for major roles.
The NCAA changed its eligibility rules earlier this year to allow all college athletes to play five seasons during a five-year window that opens the year after they finish high school or turn 19 years old. The previous NCAA rules allowed athletes to play four seasons during a five-year window. The change created a specific group of outgoing seniors who played in each of their four years who were out of eligibility under the old rules but would be eligible for another season if the new rule applied to them. The NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors decided in June that their new rules would not apply to outgoing seniors, setting off a flurry of courtroom activities.
Indiana University Men’s Basketball to host UCF on Saturday, December 12th A ninth non-conference opponent for IU basketball’s 2026-27 season is now known. The Hoosiers will host UCF on Saturday, December 12. The Knights released their non-conference schedule on Monday afternoon. UCF, a member of the Big 12 Conference, finished last season 21-12 and earned a No. 10 seed in the NCAA tournament, falling to UCLA in the first round. The Knights finished last season No. 53 in KenPom and are No. 50 in Bart Torvik’s preseason rankings for the 2026-27 season. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs. UCF is coached by Johnny Dawkins, who is entering his 11th season at the helm in Orlando.
Other known dates for IU’s 2026-27 schedule include Eastern Illinois on November 2 at Assembly Hall, Bellarmine on November 5 at Assembly Hall, Syracuse on November 9 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Arkansas on November 17 at Madison Square Garden, Kentucky on November 20 at Lucas Oil Stadium, Bowling Green on November 27 at Assembly Hall, Western Illinois on December 3 at Assembly Hall and Missouri on December 19 at Assembly Hall. IU will also play exhibition games against Butler on October 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, North Carolina on October 18 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and against Western Kentucky on October 25 at the Ford Center in Evansville.
Indiana University Baseball Announces the 2026 Fall Schedule Head coach Jeff Mercer and the Indiana baseball team will take full advantage of the allowable four-game fall schedule this year. The ninth-year skipper will put a new-look team to the test in September and October with a series of tough exhibition games during the squad’s first semester on campus. The Hoosiers will play three power four conference opponents and will also meet Huntington University in an exhibition at Parkview Field in Fort Wayne. A contest against West Virginia at Prasco Park (Mason, Ohio) will be the only game outside the state of Indiana. The fall slate will end with a home game against Kentucky at Bart Kaufman Field on Friday, October 16th.
The annual Fall World Series will take place in late October with dates still to be determined. Third-year catcher Hogan Denny returns to spark a rejuvenated offense in Bloomington. Third-year outfielder Cole Decker, second-year second baseman Landen Fry and second-year designated hitter Owen ten Oever each played big roles last season as well. 24 new players will get a taste of wearing the IU uniform for the first time this fall. Mercer brought in 10 transfers and 14 prep players to pair with a strong returning core. Second-year outfielder Nate Eisfelder (Tennessee), second-year infielder Kelvyn Paulino Jr. (Florida State) and third-year infielder Ryan Maggy (West Virginia) each bring power four experience out of the transfer portal. Times for each game will be announced at a later date.
2026 Fall Baseball Schedule
Sunday, Sept. 27 – vs. West Virginia – Prasco Park (Mason, Ohio)
Sunday, Oct. 4 – vs. Huntington – Parkview Field (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
Friday, Oct. 9 – vs. Notre Dame – Four Winds Field (South Bend, Ind.)
Friday, Oct. 16 – vs. Kentucky – Bart Kaufman Field (Bloomington, Ind.)
Indiana University Wrestling’s Riley Lefever Promoted to Associate Head Coach Indiana Wrestling’s Riley Lefever has been promoted to associate head coach. Lefever served the program as an assistant coach the past five seasons, beginning in the 2021-22 season, and is now an associate head coach heading into his sixth campaign in 2026-27. The Fort Wayne, Ind. native has helped head coach Angel Escobedo and staff improve the team year over year since he arrived in Bloomington.
After his first season, Lefever helped the Hoosiers improve their record with five more dual victories in 2022-23 and added two more NCAA Qualifiers to their previous year’s total. In the following season (2023-24), Lefever got the team up to six NCAA Qualifiers. The Hoosiers have notched six national qualifiers the two seasons following, as well. In the last four seasons, Lefever and the Hoosiers have charted seven-plus dual wins and eight victories in three of the last four. Lefever also helped develop All-Americans the past two seasons as DJ Washington took eighth place at 184 lbs. in 2025 and Jacob Moran finished in sixth place in 2026.
Indiana University Field Hockey Names 2026 Captains Indiana Field Hockey head coach Kayla Bashore has announced Mijntje Hagen, Javi Baeza and Inés Garcia Prado as the team’s 2026 team captains. The trio of upperclassmen have all emerged into team leaders throughout their time in Bloomington and look to get the team to new heights this season. Garcia Prado, a fourth year, was an NFHCA All-American in 2025 and is a three-time All-Big Ten and NFHCA All-Region selection. Hagen broke out in 2025, garnering NFHCA All-Region and All-Big Ten honors. The third year forward will look to build upon that success in 2026. Baeza is a fourth year who has been an instrumental part of the team’s success and has been a natural leader for the program since arriving in Bloomington. In 2025, she had four assists and started in all 18 games.
Cream Grabs Competitive Victory over Crimson in the Indiana University Women’s Volleyball Scrimmage The final tuneup of fall practice featured a competitive exhibition last Friday evening at Wilkinson Hall. With students back on campus, IU’s 2026 team got the chance to play in front of its peers for the first time this season. Three sets of volleyball ended with a tight win (25-21, 26-24, 15-12) by the Cream team and coaches Rachel Morris and Zack Kallas. A majority of IU’s returning starters featured on the winning side in Friday’s proceedings. Second-year setter Teodora Krickovic ran a fast tempo offense and got nine kills from second year outside hitter Jaidyn Jager and second-year middle blocker Victoria Gray. First-year outside hitter Sara Snowbarger provided a match-high 14 kills for the Crimson team. After a long offseason, the Hoosiers will get the real thing underway next Friday (Aug. 28) at No. 7 Louisville. It’s the earliest top 25 matchup in program history and will provide a stiff road test off the jump for head coach Steve Aird’s team. IU will make its regular season home debut against Cal Poly on Thursday, Sept. 10 in the opening game of the Indiana Invitational.
‘New Guy’ Joe Hjelle Gets After It on Defensive Line for Indiana University Football Seeing might be believing, but for Joe Hjelle as he works his way into Indiana’s defensive line rotation, participation matters most. Now that this 6-foot-3, 318-pound fifth-year Tulsa transfer is fully into the disruption created by defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’s attacking defense, it’s time to rock. “When I was being recruited here,” he says, “the thing that stood out was how active they get. They’re not sticking around staying on blocks. They’re getting vertical. They’re trying to cause as much havoc as they can.” The Hoosiers cause a lot. Last year, they held opponents to 11.7 points and 266.0 total yards while intercepting 19 passes, forcing 12 fumbles and totaling 46 sacks. All those rated among the nation’s best.
Hjelle saw it from afar then. He’s part of it now, and if it’s coming in an August camp setting, just wait until the season begins, starting Sept. 5 against North Texas on Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium. “It’s just playing off your teammates,” he says. “If one person is not winning (his one-on-one battle), then you can play off of them, make them right, and vice versa. That’s the one thing that really stuck out while I was being recruited. That’s something I enjoy.” Enjoyment includes working with returning defensive linemen such as Tyrique Tucker and Mario Landino, who have helped him master the defensive nuances. “I am the new guy,” Hjelle says. “Learning this new system has been, at first, a little challenging. It is a lot to learn. It’s a very detailed defense. I think that is what makes it so effective. “Being able to learn from guys like Tyrique and Mario has been really helpful because they have been in the system. They know the plays and a lot of the little things that have helped me become a better player and understand the defense better.”
It’s also helped to practice against what projects as one of the nation’s best offensive lines, led by veterans such as Carter Smith, Drew Evans, Bray Lynch, and Joe Brunner. “These guys are very good,” Hjelle says. “It’s fun to go against them. It’s been tough, but they’re going to make me better and make everyone on the defensive line better. “Going against one of the best offensive lines in the country every day has helped me become a better player. It’s been a lot of fun.” So is benefitting from a versatile defensive line. “We’re fortunate to have a lot of really good players on the edge and the interior who can play like a defensive end, defensive tackle and even bump down to a nose,” Hjelle says. “We’re fortunate to have a lot of versatile guys, especially with (Stephen) Daley and (Kellan) Wyatt coming back. That’s gotten us even deeper. I’m excited to see how that plays.”
As for Daley and Wyatt, who were among the Big Ten’s most disruptive defensive players last season, Hjelle says, “It is great to have them back. I wasn’t here last year, but from what I have seen on tape and what I have heard, they’ve done a lot of great things. “The deeper we are, the easier it will be to get to the quarterback and have more fresh legs and bodies to throw at the offense.” Hjelle has had an interesting journey to IU. He saw the big picture coming out of Iowa’s Decorah High School despite making all-state his last two seasons and lettering in baseball, basketball, and track (a two-time state qualifier in the discus and shot put).
He was an undersized (6-foot-3, 290 pounds) two-star football prospect, which didn’t mean he had to stay that way. Some guys develop later; they need time to build the mental and physical toughness major college football demands. “Coming out of high school and going the junior college route was a very big step in my development as a player,” Hjelle says. “In high school, I was a little smaller and didn’t have the experience or tools to play at this level.” Hjelle got them, starting by helping Iowa Western win a pair of JUCO national titles — the first as a redshirt, the second as a key contributor with 29 tackles, 11.0 for loss and 6.5 sacks, plus two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble — before moving on to two seasons at Tulsa. Last year’s breakout performance — 46 tackles, 4.5 for loss, one sack — convinced him he was ready for the big time.
Indiana coaches agreed. “Going to that junior college route really helped me grow,” Hjelle says. “Being part of a great program like Iowa Western and having all these great players in front of me and learning from them helped me become the best player I can be.” Hjelle isn’t the highest-rated defensive line transfer on IU’s roster, but Haines’ defensive scheme brings out elite performances from those who work. Hjelle works. “It’s the way he puts his head down and works,” Tucker says. “He gets after it. He’s a worker. That’s ultimately what you want.” Adds head coach Curt Cignetti: “He’s really a tough guy. “He has explosive power and good movement. He’s kind of a blue-collar guy. He’ll be in the mix inside for sure.”
Hjelle says playing defensive end in high school has helped him acclimate to Haines’ scheme. “Having that experience from an edge perspective has helped me better set up stunts and know what is effective. What to do and what not to do. Just trying to keep my teammates free and to have free rushes and all of that.” While in the portal, Hjelle heard from former IU head football coach Kevin Wilson, who later was the Tulsa head coach. “During the recruiting process,” Hjelle says, “I didn’t talk to him much about coming to Bloomington, but he reached out and wanted to lend me his support. I really appreciated that. It was nice to have that connection because you never know where things could end up. That was beneficial for me.” Cignetti, as he has with every Hoosier in the program, leaves a big impression. “I enjoy how structured he has everything,” Hjelle says. “Everything is with a purpose. There are no wasted time or movements. He knows what he wants and if you’re not giving it to him the way he wants, he’ll let you know. “Being able to have that kind of structure and knowing where you’re going 24/7 and how you’re working is my favorite part about it.”