A judge on Wednesday ruled in favor of Indiana starting safety Louis Moore, granting eligibility to the 24-year-old defensive leader and allowing him to continue playing this season for the undefeated Hoosiers.
Moore filed a lawsuit in early August challenging the NCAA’s five-year eligibility rule, arguing his three years at Navarro Junior College in Texas should not count against his eligibility. According to the court document filed today, judge Dale Tillery ruled that the NCAA’s eligibility rule violated the Texas Antitrust Act.
“This is a big victory for not only Louis Moore, but for all similarly situated student athletes who have illegally had their eligibility for attending junior colleges taken from them by the NCAA,” said Brian P. Lawton, one of Moore’s attorneys. “I am so proud of Louis for navigating this. Louis leads Indiana in tackles, interceptions, pass breakups, and he’s had to do that while living a lawsuit. I couldn’t be more proud of him. He has earned everything he deserves.”
Moore, who leads IU with 23 tackles and two interceptions for 41 yards, graduated from Poteet High School in Mesquite, Texas, and attended Navarro from 2019 to 2022. He played football there, redshirted and was injured and went to IU, where he played in 2022 and 2023. After his second year at IU, he transferred to Ole Miss for his third season of NCAA football (2024). He stated in his lawsuit that he entered the transfer portal on Dec. 27, 2024, because multiple schools advised him the recent court ruling for Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia would also allow Moore another season of eligibility.
According to the temporary injunction order, filed in the District Court of Dallas County, Texas, the order was necessary because of “the immediate need to allow Moore to play football for Indiana for the 2025-26 season, in order to prevent irreparable harm to Moore’s career-including development with the Team, the opportunity to play with the Team, and the opportunity to effectuate his NIL deal.”
“I commend our judge,” Lawton said. “He carefully listened to the evidence, he let everybody put on their case, and this result is a righteous result for a very deserving client. The students at Indiana, the faculty at Indiana, the fan base at Indiana – they should really be proud of Louis. He is an asset to their school.”