You cannot win them all. While the Indiana Hoosiers have done a ton of winning over the last two seasons under Curt Cignetti, the program needs to figure this out sooner or later to have real, true staying power in the Big Ten. Indiana can recruit out of the transfer portal like nobody's business. However, cracking the ranks in high school recruitment has not come easy for the Hoosiers thus far.
On Sunday, edge rusher Wyatt Smith decided between these schools for his four-star commitment.
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Missouri Tigers
- Ohio State Buckeyes
Smith decided to not only spurn his father's alma mater, but he turned down Indiana for Ohio State...
BREAKING: Four-Star EDGE Wyatt Smith has Committed to Ohio State, he tells me for @Rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 17, 2026
The 6’6 250 EDGE chose the Buckeyes over Indiana and Missouri
“Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”https://t.co/VL1NkM0VnP pic.twitter.com/g0VEXhTQ41
According to the 247Sports Composite, Smith is the No. 9 player from Florida, the No. 11 edge rusher in the country, and the No. 78 overall prospect in the 2027 recruiting cycle. Smith is the son of former Missouri star and All-Pro defensive lineman Justin Smith. His father played in the league from 2001 to 2014, splitting his professional career between the Cincinnati Bengals and the San Francisco 49ers.
So instead of going to his father's alma mater of Missouri, Smith joins a rival of Indiana in Ohio State...
Indiana will deal with the fallout of Wyatt Smith committing to Ohio State
When looking a little bit deeper at Smith's recruiting profile over on 247Sports, you can see that he had two official visits scheduled, and neither of them were to Indiana. He has one coming up on June 5 with Ohio State, and potentially still one in the works with Missouri on May 29. Let's be real. If he was going to pick another program over his father's school, Ohio State was going to have the upper hand.
Not only does Ohio State have a longer track record of success, but keep in mind where Smith plays his high school football at. That would be St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This has long been a honey hole for the Buckeyes when it comes to prospective recruits out of Florida. The Bosa Brothers played there. Cris Carter has long had an affiliation with this program in South Florida.
Overall, just because Indiana is on top of the college football world does not mean the Hoosiers are going to forever stay there. It was Ohio State who won the first 12-team College Football Playoff the year prior. History is on their side in terms of high school recruitment. In time, Indiana may get there, but Cignetti is no spring chicken. Does he have enough time to plant the seeds to help Indiana out?
Ultimately, all Cignetti and his staff need to do is to continue to win big and develop its players. The rest will happen accordingly. What is important to understand is it is only a matter of time before Bryant Haines and Mike Shanahan will get to lead their own teams. If both return to Bloomington in 2027, that would be remarkable. The only way that both will stay is if one is Cignetti's heir apparent.
It could be in play, but it is never in one's best interest to replace a legend at the helm of a program.
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