Indiana All-American left tackle [**Carter Smith**](https://247sports.com/player/carter-smith-46104090/) is not expected to be available during spring camp as he rehabs from offseason surgery. Smith said in a Tuesday press conference that he underwent shoulder surgery in January following IU's national championship victory and is still working to get back to full strength.
"Usually I'm the kind of guy to be able to run back up to the line two days after the game and still want to be able to hit something," Smith said. "So I am itching a little bit right now, that's for sure. Timeline wise, I see myself getting back for fall camp.
"Still going to be managing a lot of weightlifting this offseason. I'm not allowed to put a lot of pressure on it (shoulder), but that's going to change here in a few weeks. Just keeping it very manageable right now, getting back into running pretty slowly. But should be ready by fall camp."
Smith suffered the shoulder injury sometime during IU's College Football Playoff run. He continued to play through the injury until the end of the season, then returned to his home state of Ohio to have his shoulder operated on.
"I had a labral tear on my left shoulder, so I was put in a sling after my surgery," Smith said. "I had a good repair done by a lot of doctors back at home. So nothing precautionary, it was just part of the procedure."
Smith's injury rehab is not only in an effort to fortify Indiana's offensive line during the 2026 season, but it's also with an eye toward Smith's 2027 NFL Draft stock.
The redshirt senior is entering his fourth-straight season as IU's starting left tackle. Smith said he heavily considered leaving college early this offseason and entering the 2026 NFL Draft, but given the nature of his injury, he felt returning to school and showing he can play at a high level post-injury could positively impact his draft stock next year.
"Yeah, I was definitely pondering probably putting my name into the draft this year," Smith said. "I think at the end of the day, I wanted to be able to put on film that even after an injury like this, where I need to have a full repair, that I can still put the same stuff on film.
"Sometimes that can pop up as a red flag for some programs (NFL teams), 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."
Last season, Smith became the first Indiana player to be named Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year. He started all 16 games at left tackle, earned consensus All-American and first-team All-Big Ten honors, and was part of an IU offensive line that was a Joe Moore Award Finalist.
Though Smith likely won't be back on the practice field until the fall, his presence looms large as the Hoosiers look to repeat as national champions. Smith is one of four core offensive line returners from last season, alongside Drew Evans, Bray Lynch and Adedamola Ajani. IU added four-star Wisconsin transfer Joe Brunner to help fill out the offensive line this offseason.