Height: 6’5”

Weight: 308 pounds

Hometown: Powell, Ohio (Olentangy Liberty)

Class/Position: Redshirt Junior/Left Tackle

One of the first major recruiting wins of the Curt Cignetti era, a time when fans were able to really think that things were going to be different, was when left tackle Carter Smith announced he was exiting the transfer portal and staying at Indiana University. Smith had just started at left tackle as a freshman during the 2023 season and was being wooed by schools in the SEC. After all, talented offensive linemen with experience plus multiple years of eligibility remaining are not often available in the transfer portal. It was considered highly unlikely that Smith would choose to stay at IU with those other options on the table and when he announced he was returning to Bloomington because he believed in the new coaching staff, it was a major offseason “victory” for Curt Cignetti as he tried to instill belief into the jaded IU football fan base.

Carter Smith then went on to play a major role in the turnaround everyone saw in 2024 as he anchored an offensive line that was ranked third in the Big Ten by Pro Football Focus. He started every game for the Hoosiers and earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors for his play. Smith now enters his junior season with realistic NFL aspirations and he is a favorite to be an All-Big Ten player for the 2025 campaign.

Carter Smith is now a leader on the line and he spoke to the media during spring football about his fellow offensive linemen and their hopes for the coming season. “I have been around Bob Bostad for two years now, this will be third year under his wing. I’ve pretty much got all the coaching points down and all of the guys we’ve brought in, we’ve got Pat Coogan, we’ve got Zen Michalski and we’ve got Kahlil Benson. Kahlil already has a year under Bostad, so he kind of knows what to expect. Pat and Zen are both coachable guys, so as long as we keep them on the field and keep hammering out the coaching points for the run game and the pass game, I think we’re going to be alright.”

The Hoosier Huddle Countdown to Kickoff continues each and every day so be sure to check back often for the latest profile piece!