Indiana picked up a commitment from in-state 3-star defensive lineman Blake Smythe on Friday evening.
The Franklin Community H.S. (Franklin, Ind.) product is the No. 73 defensive lineman in the nation according to the On3 Industry average.
Smythe picked IU over five other finalists — Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois, Louisville and Michigan State.
Indiana offered Smythe a scholarship in January. He made multiple visits to IU including for the 66-0 win over Purdue in November.
The 6-foot-3 and 290-pound Smythe projects to play along the interior of the defensive front under the direction of assistant coach Pat Kuntz.
Smythe will be a legacy player at IU. His grandfather Mark Smythe played for the Hoosiers from 1979-83. He was a team captain and went on to play in the NFL. His father played college football as well.
“I feel like they have a great thing going and (it’s great) to keep the Smythe legacy in Bloomington,” he told On3’s Steve Wiltfong.
As a junior in 2024, Smythe posted 96 tackles (13 for loss) with 5.5 sacks and three pass breakups. He was named first team all conference and to the 5A IFCA Junior All-State team. He also plays along the offensive line and plays baseball at Franklin.
Smythe’s junior season highlights are below.
Indiana now has seven commits in its rapidly expanding 2026 class. Smythe is the second interior defensive lineman and second player from Indiana. He joins the following players coming to Bloomington in a year:
- Henry Ohlinger, Columbus, Ohio, LB/RB (4-star)
- Kasmir Hicks, Indianapolis, Indiana, CB/WR (3-star)
- Jay Timmons, Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, DB (3-star)
- Sam Simpson, River Falls, Wisconsin, IOL (3-star)
- Jacob Savage, Union, Kentucky, LB (3-star)
- Rodney White, Towson, Maryland, DL (3-star)
For complete coverage of IU football recruiting, GO HERE.
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