Countdown to 2018 IUFB Kickoff: 64 Days (Ryan Smith)

Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Countdown to Kickoff: #64 – Ryan Smith

Height: 6’5”

Weight: 285 pounds

Hometown: Loveland, OH (Moeller)

Class/Position: RS FR/OL

Ryan Smith is a big red shirt freshman out of Loveland, Ohio. It may seem like Smith’s name has been floating around Indiana football longer than just one season, and that is because it has. Smith was a gray shirt coming out of Moeller H.S. before redshirting last season before being given a redshirt in 2017.

At Moeller, Smith played both ways along the lines. During his senior season he made 48 tackles including seven sacks, while only giving up one sack on offense. Smith’s name was thrown around in the spring of 2017 as a player who could find his way on to the field as the Hoosiers had questions along the offensive line. Playing time never materialized and Smith has been buried down the depth chart as the IU offensive line brings everyone back in 2018. However, at 6’5” 285 pounds, Smith brings size and a pretty solid high school career to the roster. Tom Allen and his staff have shown that if a player can show he can perform, he will see the field at some point. Whether or not that happens with Smith remains to be seen.