Indiana OL Carter Smith's Injury is a Blessing in Disguise

The Indiana Hoosiers will be without All-American offensive tackle Carter Smith this spring due to surgery to repair a torn labrum.

Smith confirmed the rumors that started when he was seen wearing a sling at an IU Women's basketball game earlier this year. While this may be a blow to Smith - he's expected to be a full go by fall camp - it is a blessing in disguise for the Hoosiers.

"I had a labrum tear on my left shoulder, so I was put in a sling after my surgery. I had a good repair done by a lot of doctors back at home." Smith said after the Hoosiers' third practice of the spring.

This is the first time Smith has been hurt during his college career and is a big reason why he chose to come back to IU in 2026 rather than head to the NFL.

"I wanted to be able to put on film that even after an injury like this, where I need to have a full repair, is that I can still put the same stuff on film. Because sometimes that can pop up as a red flag for some programs. And with it being my first time being like this, I have to prove that I can still go out and do all the same things." Smith added.

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Who Does This Open the Door For?

With every injury comes opportunity and while it is certainly a blow to lose an All-American for spring practice, the opportunity for Indiana's young offensive lineman gets bigger.

Baylor Wilken, Tackle

The biggest beneficiary of this development is redshirt freshman Baylor Wilkin who will now be thrust into action with the first team.

"Another guy that I kind of see stepping up is Baylor Wilkin." Smith said. "He's going to be doing our left tackle work with the ones all spring. I see him as a really fast dude who can connect bodies really fast. He's got a good strike. He might be a little bit on the shorter side, but he makes up for it in this length."

Austin Liebfried, Interior OL

Liebfried has played in 13 games for the Hoosiers and will be a redshirt sophomore in 2026. With the graduation of Zen Michalski and several other offensive linemen after the 2025 season, Liebfried's role will be the swing player along the line to fill in anywhere. With Wilkin moving to left tackle for the spring, this opens up repetitions along the interior for Liebfriend.

What Will Spring Be Like For Carter Smtih?

If Carter Smith could be out on the practice field, he would be.

He admitted to "always itching to put the pads on and go crack some dude on the other side scrimmage." However, that will not be possible this spring.

Smith is still limited in the weight room, but his impact can still be felt.

"I would say that taking a step back and being able to see the game from a wider range," Smith said. "I think it's a good moment for me to be able to see it, especially for our young guys, since we have three early and early freshmen to be able to see what they do on the field and once they come out, to be able to coach them up," Smith said.