Defensive linemen Kellan Wyatt and Stephen Daley are practicing with IU's football team while they try to regain their eligibility for games, coach Curt Cignetti said Monday.

In his first comments since a court ruling last week went against players such as Wyatt and Daley, Cignetti said the university is "supporting" their efforts to become eligible but didn't say what the support entailed.

"We're taking that day by day," Cignetti said. "Obviously, would love to see (them regain eligibility), and I think in their case, you're creating opportunities. You look at Wyatt starting less than half the games last year before getting hurt. Then Daley stepped in, started six out of 16 games, and got hurt.

"Both had pro potential because of injury. Didn't end up in an NFL camp, so we'd have to make no roster cuts if they're eligible to play."

Last week, the NCAA won an appeals court decision preventing athletes who started in 2022 from receiving a fifth year of eligibility, at least temporarily.

Previously, a district court included players from 2022 in a rule granting five years of eligibility in a five-year period. That expanded the old rule of four years of eligibility in a five-year period.

With universities resisting the acceptance of athletes as employees, there are no collectively bargained rules that would be hard to challenge in court.

The situation has created an ever changing set of rules based on court decisions in various parts of the country.

Cignetti also discussed the progress of transfer quarterback Josh Hoover. He was asked where Hoover is at compared to last year's quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.

"I think what you got to do is, if you want to make a comparison, you got to kind of look at where we were last year at this time," Cignetti said. "You know, we walked off the field the second scrimmage and really weren't good at all throwing the football and weren't feeling very good about things, and I mean, you even look at the first game against (Old Dominion). You know, they rip off a 75-yard touchdown the first play. Our first score was on an 89-yard punt return. I think we scored our first offensive touchdown with 3:40 to go in the second quarter."