Stephen Daley is officially back for a fifth season with the Indiana Hoosiers, and you know what that means for the defending national champs: their defense just got a massive, unexpected shot in the arm. This cat was a nightmare for quarterbacks, and losing his pass-rushing ability was one of the biggest question marks for Indiana heading into the 2026 season. Now? That question mark just morphed into a huge exclamation point for the Hoosiers.
The “Five-for-Five” Ruling That Blew Up Expectations
This whole thing is wild. Daley is returning because of a Colorado judge’s ruling that is granting an additional year of eligibility to the entire Class of 2022 under the NCAA’s new “five-for-five” rule. Schools have been hesitant to act, not knowing if the NCAA will appeal and overrule the injunction, making players ineligible again. But for Indiana, the reward of getting Daley back clearly outweighs that risk. They’re thrilled to welcome their star defensive end back to Bloomington with open arms. Daley’s 2025 season was lights-out, tallying 38 tackles, including an insane 19 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks. That’s before a freak knee injury high-fiving fans after the Big Ten Championship ended his senior year right before Indiana’s College Football Playoff run. The defense still managed to hold it down and win the national title without him, but everyone knew what a huge loss his play-disrupting ability was going to be for this year.
Depth on Depth for the Hoosiers’ D
Even without Daley, head coach Curt Cignetti and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines weren’t sitting around. They hit the transfer portal hard to try and fill the void, bringing in Chiddi Obiazor and Tobi Osunsanmi from Kansas State, plus Josh Burnham from Notre Dame. Those guys were supposed to bolster the defensive line rotation. Now, with Daley back in the mix alongside that strong transfer group, Indiana has a tremendous amount of depth on the edge. This was a position of major concern at the start of the offseason, but now it’s looking like one of their biggest strengths. Sure, much of the offseason chatter has been about Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza’s departure and how new transfer quarterback Josh Hoover from TCU, along with new star receiver Nick Marsh, will fare. But make no mistake, under Cignetti, defense has been the calling card for the Hoosiers’ turnaround. With Daley back and star tackle Tyrique Tucker also returning, expect opposing quarterbacks to be under constant duress once again.
The No. 6 ranked Hoosiers, coming off their first-ever national championship, just got a whole lot tougher on defense. This is their identity, and getting Daley back means they are absolutely going to keep that going.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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