The National Champion Indiana Hoosiers just picked up another major win, and it’ll help its chances of repeating next season
The Indiana Hoosiers are keeping a key starter around for next season despite many believing he was NFL Draft-bound.
Just when you thought things couldn’t get better for the Indiana Hoosiers, who were named the 2025 national champions on Monday night, the team picked up a major win during the post-game celebrations.
You would think the last thing on the minds of these players would be next season, after the group did what they set out to do: reach the college football mountain top. Not even that can stop this team from having football on its mind.
The team is losing multiple key players to the 2026 NFL Draft class, including D’Angelo Ponds, Elijah Sarratt, and Aiden Fisher, who are graduating, as well as Heisman winner Fernadno Mendoza, who is expected to declare for the draft to become the No. 1 pick. Another many expected to declare early is Hoosiers star LT Carter Smith, but the NFL will have to wait for the talented offensive lineman, as he is returning to Bloomington for his senior year.
Indiana star offensive lineman Carter Smith is planning to return to the school for his senior season
Smith has been one of the Hoosiers’ best offensive players all year and one of the two leaders on the offensive line, along with center Pat Coogan. He has been a consensus top 100 prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft and is even viewed as a top 50 player by some analysts.
He was likely to hear his name called in the top three rounds of the NFL Draft, so he certainly could have used this national championship to ride off into the sunset. Smith has already earned his degree from Indiana. So what reason does he have to return, you ask? His love for this team.
The Hoosiers have already begun retooling their offense with notable transfer portal additions, including WR Nick Marsh and guard Joe Brunner. Most notably, they landed their 2026 starting QB in former TCU Hornfrog Josh Hoover, and it is a big win for Indiana knowing they will have Smith, who, ahead of the national championship game, didn’t allow a sack all season protecting his blindside.
College Football
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Going for it on two fourth downs got the Hoosiers the game-winning touchdown by Fernando Mendoza, but not sticking to it, nearly cost them the win.
