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Indiana star DL Stephen Daley to return for 5th season, per report
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Indiana is ready to try to repeat as national champions in 2026, and on Tuesday afternoon the Hoosiers literally got a huge boost in trying to accomplish that.
According to a report by ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel, Indiana standout defensive lineman Stephen Daley is coming back to Bloomington for a fifth season of collegiate football. A monster in the trenches for head coach Curt Cignetti‘s national title-winning defense last season, Daley had 5.5 sacks and was third in the nation with 19 tackles-for-loss.
Daley was an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection in 2025, and now Cignetti will have Daley back at his disposal as the Hoosiers try to prove that last season’s 16-0 dream season was only the beginning in Bloomington.
Unfortunately for Daley, last season wasn’t totally a dream scenario, as he was forced to sit out the entire College Football Playoff run after sustaining a knee injury while celebrating Indiana’s dramatic victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game.
But Tuesday brought some relief as Daley was cleared by Indiana officials for a 5th season of college football, with that ruling arriving in the wake of a district court ruling in Colorado. Daley’s fluke injury after the Big Ten title game prevented him from being signed by an NFL team, but now he’ll get another go-around in college to try to better his draft status for 2027.
Daley began his collegiate career at Kent State in 2022, spending 3 seasons there before transferring to Indiana prior to the 2025 season.
With Daley back in the fold for the 2026 season, Indiana has a great shot to climb the mountain again and repeat as Big Ten champions. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the Hoosiers’ chances to rule the Big Ten once again this fall:
