Indiana Football's Louis Moore Given Eligibility for First 2 Games, Lawsuit Unresolved

If Indiana sixth-year senior safety Louis Moore can't play past the first two games, true freshman Byron Baldwin is expected to factor into the rotation.

Indiana safety Louis Moore (7) at Indiana University football practice Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football safety Louis Moore, who's suing the NCAA for an additional year of eligibility, will be eligible to play in the Hoosiers' first two games this season, but his availability thereafter is to be determined.

Judge Dale Tillery on Tuesday extended Moore's temporary restraining order, which initially spanned Aug. 13-27, for another two weeks until Moore's attorney and the NCAA meet for another hearing. The follow-up hearing is set for Sept. 10, according to The Herald-Times reporter Mike Niziolek.

Moore has twice requested an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA, citing Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia's case to not count junior college seasons toward the four years of allotted NCAA eligibility.

Pavia won his lawsuit, and the NCAA created a waiver that gave former junior college players an additional year of eligibility.

However, both of Moore's requests have been denied, the latest coming Aug. 22.

The 24-year-old Moore is entering his sixth season of college football. He played for Navarro Community College from 2020-21, Indiana from 2022-23 and Ole Miss in 2024 before transferring back to Bloomington last winter.

Moore's attorney, Brian Lauten, is arguing Moore's two years at Navarro shouldn't count against his eligibility.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Moore started 10 of 12 appearances for the Hoosiers in 2023. He played in 11 games and made two starts last season at Ole Miss, recording 37 total tackles.

Moore has practiced with Indiana throughout spring and fall camp. If he's unable to play, freshman safety Byron Baldwin Jr. will likely see extended action.

Indiana senior linebacker Aiden Fisher said Tuesday that Baldwin approached him in the summer, asking what more he could do to get on the field and be an impact player this fall. Ever since their conversation, Fisher said Baldwin has been attached to his hip pocket each day in practice.

Now, Fisher believes Baldwin can follow in the footsteps of past freshmen — such as cornerback D'Angelo Ponds in 2023 and linebacker Rolijah Hardy in 2024 — who've played meaningful snaps under coach Curt Cignetti.

"It's been really impressive to see him kind of change his demeanor and mature that quickly," Fisher said. "He's going to be a guy that really helps us this year. And similar to Ponds and Rolijah, he has the 'it' factor. He can go out there, he can make plays, special plays — special plays that we're going to need and depend on."

And the Hoosiers' dependency on Baldwin will only rise if Moore can't play past the first two games. But for now, that's a problem for a later day.

Moore and the Hoosiers begin the 2025 season at 2:30 p.m. Aug. 30 on Merchants Bank Field inside Memorial Stadium.

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