Carter Smith's Return Gives IU a Cornerstone on the Offensive Line

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Written by Evan Alvarez

NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks describes the importance of a left tackle as such: “Keeping the all-important quarterback protected is obviously a top priority. Thus, the second-most crucial offensive position is left tackle (behind QB), due to the presence of dangerous pass rushers on the QB’s blind side.”

Indiana got their quarterback through the portal in Kurtis Rourke, and recently received good news that their starting left tackle protecting him, Carter Smith, would be withdrawing his name from the portal and rejoining the Hoosiers as well. Smith will enter this year as a redshirt sophomore and will return as Indiana’s starting left tackle, a role he earned last year in spring practice as a redshirt freshman. 

Under Coach Bostad and Coach Cignetti’s tutelage, there is a lot of excitement and pressure surrounding Carter Smith, this offensive line and how the Hoosiers can perform in general in 2024 as the program faces a potential inflection point. Pressure makes diamonds and Carter Smith seems to do the same. As Smith said in a 2023 article by Pete DiPrimio on the Hoosiers official website, “[pressure] pushes me to be better.”

As such, Carter is no stranger to big moments and big challenges, as he made his collegiate debut in 2022 against Ohio State, and then made his first collegiate start in 2023 against the Buckeyes. For a young player, games like these can be daunting, but Carter was “never daunted” and rose to the challenge.

In fact, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Carter Smith ranked as the 17th best Tackle (both left and right) in the entire Big Ten during the 2023 season and ranked 12th best when it came to run blocking. Keep in mind this is behind high draft picks like Olu Fashanu (Penn State) and top 150 recruits like Riley Mahlman (Wisconsin) and that Carter Smith was a redshirt freshman going up against the 24th hardest schedule in the country (per PFF).

Smith played very well during his first season as a starter, but also improved as the season went on. Looking at Big Ten play, Carter Smith’s Pro Football Focus grades increased by 7-percent when comparing the first half of Big Ten play to the second half of Big Ten play. Surely some of the growth could be attributed to the second half data points not including Ohio State or Michigan, but one could also argue that those difficult games prepared Carter even more for games to come and brought a wealth of learning opportunities to improve with one of the best offensive line coaches in the country, Bob Bostad, leading the way.

“I think Carter if he continues to earn his stripes in which he did a lot last year playing left tackle. He's going to continue to take on a leadership role as well.” Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan said during a recent interview.

As 2024 spring practices quickly approach, I see Carter Smith building on this success and growth from his redshirt freshman season and becoming a leader of this offensive line – continuing to grow each game, each rep, and each opportunity. Allen Trieu of 247 Sports evaluated Smith in 2021 saying, “his athleticism and approach should allow him to be an impact college player and a potential Sunday player beyond that” with a projection of being drafted as a Day 3 pick.

The expectations are high, but Carter Smith will continue rising to the challenge. He was as important of a pick up as any that IU has had this offseason.