Preseason recognition keeps piling up for Indiana football, and ESPN’s latest list put five Hoosiers on its 2026 Preseason All-America teams.
Carter Smith was the headliner. The redshirt senior offensive tackle landed on ESPN’s First Team as Indiana’s only first-team selection. Smith, the reigning Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, is also one of just three players returning from ESPN’s 2025 postseason All-Americans.
“One of three offensive line starters back for the defending national champion Hoosiers, Smith is one of the nation's elite pass protectors at 6-5, 313 pounds,” wrote ESPN’s Eli Lederman and Max Olson. “He has started 41 games at Indiana over the past three seasons, including a year ago when he made 16 starts and logged more snaps -- 997 -- than all but seven other FBS offensive linemen. Per ESPN Research, Smith allowed just nine pressures en route to Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and consensus All-America honors last fall, the fewest among full-time left tackles nationally.”
Indiana also placed four players on ESPN’s Second Team: junior wide receivers Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh, junior linebacker Rolijah Hardy and senior safety Amare Ferrell.
A few Hoosiers who have shown up on preseason All-America lists elsewhere did not make ESPN’s teams, including redshirt senior defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker, redshirt senior linebacker Isaiah Jones, redshirt senior cornerback Jamari Sharpe and redshirt junior kicker Nico Radicic.
ESPN’s full teams featured several other familiar names around the country. On offense, the first team included quarterback Julian Sayin of Ohio State, running backs Kewan Lacy of Ole Miss and Jadan Baugh of Florida, and wide receivers Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State and Cam Coleman of Texas.
Trevor Goosby of Texas joined Carter Smith at tackle, while Kade Pieper of Iowa and Anthonie Knapp of Notre Dame were the guards and Drew Bobo of Georgia handled center. Malachi Toney of Miami earned the all-purpose spot.
On defense and special teams, ESPN’s first team listed edge rushers Collin Simmons of Texas and Dylan Stewart of South Carolina, defensive tackles A’Mauri Washington of Oregon and Ahmad Moten Sr. of Miami, linebackers Rasheem Biles of Texas, Xavier Atkins of Auburn and Sammy Brown of Clemson, corners Leonard Moore of Notre Dame and Brice Pollack of Texas Tech, safeties KJ Bolden of Georgia and Ty Benefield of LSU, plus kicker Tate Sandell of Oklahoma, punter Evan Crenshaw of Troy and return specialist Ryan Niblett of Texas.
Indiana’s second-team trio on offense joined quarterback CJ Carr of Notre Dame, backs Ahmad Hardy of Missouri and Mark Fletcher Jr. of Miami, receivers Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh, tight end Trey’Dez Green of LSU, tackles Jordan Seaton of LSU and Trevor Lauck of Iowa, guards Greg Johnson of Minnesota and Evan Tengesdahl of Cincinnati, center Iapani Laloulu of Oregon and all-purpose player J’Koby Williams of Texas Tech.
The second-team defense and special teams included edge rushers Anthony Smith of Minnesota and John Henry Daley of Michigan, tackles Will Echoles of Ole Miss and A.J. Holmes Jr. of Texas Tech, linebackers Rolijah Hardy, Kip Lewis of Oklahoma and Whit Weeks of LSU, corners Brandon Finney Jr. of Oregon and Kelley Jones of Mississippi State, safeties Amare Ferrell and Bray Hubbard of Alabama, kicker Lucas Carneiro of Ole Miss and punter Palmer Williams of Baylor.
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