BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football defensive end Stephen Daley suited up for the first day of fall camp Wednesday like he never left.
Seemingly out of eligibility, Daley went undrafted in April, while sidelined from the serious knee injury he suffered after the Big Ten title game.
Daley spent the summer training on his own in hopes of eventually landing on an NFL roster, but a recent court ruling out of Colorado expanding the NCAA’s new “five-for-five” rule led him back to Bloomington.
“I think that it’s a potential opportunity to get better,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said of welcoming Daley back.
While Cignetti has no concerns with Daley working his way back from injury — he’s already been cleared for all individual work and drills — there are still potential hurdles in his way.
The NCAA has already filed an emergency motion to stay the injunction out of Colorado as the organization seeks to appeal. It’s also not clear how the Protect College Sports Act, the proposed Congressional action, could potentially impact those court decisions.
“Nobody really has a crystal ball and knows what the future holds,” Cignetti said.
Given the timing and circumstances of Daley’s injury, Cignetti hopes the defender gets a chance to write a different ending to his college career.
After helping IU beat the Buckeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium, Daley suffered the injury while jumping up to high-five a family member. Instead of celebrating in the locker room with his teammates, Daley ended up on the trainer’s table. The injury forced Daley to watch IU beat the Hurricanes in the national title game from the stands at Hard Rock Stadium.
“You talk about helping people and opportunities, here’s a guy that played at Kent State and then came to us last fall,” Cignetti said. “And it really took him three or four games before he started to get the hang of it. He wasn’t playing a key role, but then became the most dominant defensive lineman in the Big Ten.”
The legal wrangling aside, Daley’s initial focus will be on simply getting back to 100%. Cignetti told reporters that the defensive end is on a “modified program” that will keep him from participating in 11-on-11 team activities until IU’s strength and conditioning staff feels he’s ready to go.
“I don’t think it will be real, real long, because he was training to be ready for next year,” Cignetti said. “It looks like he’s in pretty good shape.”
Cignetti doesn’t have any doubts about Daley making the most of his second chance.
“If it all works out and he can participate and help his football team, then his life could change,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. “I know one thing about him: he’ll give it his best shot. He really will.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana football welcomes back Stephen Daley to roster. Here’s why.
Reporting by Michael Niziolek, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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By Michael Niziolek, The Herald-Times | USA TODAY Network
