Powell native Carter Smith will start at left tackle for No. 5 Indiana when the defending national champions host No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday, Oct. 17, at noon on Fox.

Smith, a fifth-year offensive lineman and Olentangy Liberty graduate, has made 47 consecutive starts at left tackle for the Hoosiers dating back to the 2023 season opener, according to Indiana's athletics roster. He stands 6-foot-5, 310 pounds and wears No. 65.

The game at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington will be the first top-five matchup in the venue's history, NBC4 reported. Indiana (6-0) beat Ohio State 13-10 in the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 6, 2025, then completed a 16-0 season by defeating Miami 27-21 for the program's first national title, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Smith was central to that run. He earned consensus All-American honors in 2025 and became the first Hoosier to win the Big Ten's Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year award, according to Indiana's roster page.

He was also an Outland Trophy finalist. Sports Illustrated ranked him the No. 1 returning offensive tackle in the country entering 2026, noting he did not allow a sack during the regular season.

Smith almost left Indiana. He nearly transferred after two losing seasons early in his career, ABC6 reported in January. Smith said before the Peach Bowl Semifinal that one reason he stayed was his trust in position coach Bob Bostad, the only coach Cignetti retained when he was hired ahead of the 2024 season.

"The decision he made when he was in the portal was the biggest decision, other than choosing Indiana, in his life," Andy Smith, Carter's father, told ABC6 in January. "It's definitely worked out for the best."

Steve Hale, Smith's head football coach at Olentangy Liberty, praised his former player's development in the same ABC6 report. Hale said Smith was effective in both pass protection and the run game at Liberty and that seeing those skills translate to the highest level was exciting. Smith also lettered in volleyball at Liberty and early-enrolled at Indiana, missing a volleyball state title run to get a head start on football.

Draft evaluators are paying attention.

Draft analyst Tony Pauline wrote in an analysis carried by Yahoo Sports reported Oct. 12 that Smith entered the season with middle-round grades and has done nothing to suggest he cannot play left tackle in the NFL. The report called him "fundamentally sound, smart, and efficient" and praised his performance in Indiana's comeback win over Nebraska. Tankathon's big board lists Smith at No. 44 overall among 2027 NFL Draft prospects.

Saturday's matchup pits two of the Big Ten's best. Ohio State (5-1) is a 3.5-point favorite. The Buckeyes' lone loss came against Texas in Week 2, and Indiana's defense ranks fifth nationally at 11.8 points allowed per game, according to the Dispatch.

Kickoff is set for noon at Memorial Stadium, with the game airing on Fox.