Two kids grew up in the shadow of Ohio Stadium, watching the Buckeyes and hoping to wear that jersey one day. One had a brother who walked on at Ohio State. The other had a dad who played tight end there from 1992 to 1996. Both entered college as three-star recruits in the 2022 class, and both waited for a scholarship offer that never came.

Four years later, Carter Smith and Isaiah Jones are two of Indiana’s key players, and they’re about to face their hometown team. Smith, a consensus All-American left tackle, helped the Hoosiers win the 2025 national title. Jones leads the team with 46 tackles, 16 more than any Ohio State player has this season. With unbeaten Indiana hosting the Buckeyes in Bloomington on Saturday, the two former recruits get another shot at the program that once passed on them

“It always means a little something to me when I get to play the hometown team. This is my fifth year in a row getting to play against them, too. So right now I have a losing record, and I’m really looking to add another positive into that,” Smith said this week, according to Eleven Warriors.

Neither player was among the most highly rated prospects in the 2022 recruiting class. According to 247Sports’ composite rankings, Smith was the No. 61 offensive tackle and the No. 730 overall prospect. Jones, who attended London High School in Ohio, was ranked No. 91 among linebackers and No. 997 overall.

Ohio State chose to focus on other recruits, but Smith and Jones found their opportunities at Indiana. Their development has since made them important pieces of the Hoosiers’ success.

Smith is a fourth-year starting left tackle and earned consensus All-American honors while helping Indiana win the national championship in 2025. Jones has become one of the team’s most productive defenders. He leads Indiana with 46 tackles this season, 16 more than any Ohio State player has recorded. Last year, he finished with 15.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

Their progress gives Saturday’s game a personal angle. The Buckeyes are not just facing two experienced Indiana starters; they are facing players who grew up close to Ohio Stadium and once hoped to play for the same program.

Jones’ connection to Ohio State runs through his family, too. His father, D.J. Jones, played tight end for the Buckeyes from 1992 to 1996. Not receiving an offer from his father’s former team gave Jones extra motivation, but he believes that feeling is common among Indiana players who were overlooked by other major programs.

“Whether it’s Ohio State didn’t recruit you, guys that Alabama didn’t recruit them, Georgia didn’t recruit them, Penn State didn’t recruit them, there’s always a chip on our shoulder, whatever it is, and I think that’s what makes this team so special,” Jones said at Big Ten Media Days.

That motivation has carried onto the field. Jones recorded seven tackles and two sacks in Indiana’s Big Ten Championship Game victory over Ohio State last season.

Why Ohio State Passed on the Two Ohio Natives

At the time, Ohio State’s recruiting choices reflected the rankings. The Buckeyes brought in C.J. Hicks and Gabe Powers instead of Jones. Hicks was a top-10 overall prospect, while Powers ranked No. 101 in the class. Sonny Styles was also part of Ohio State’s plans, initially joining the program as a safety in the 2023 class before moving to linebacker.

Smith was also overlooked as the Buckeyes signed four offensive linemen in his class: Tegra Tshabola, Carson Hinzman, George Fitzpatrick and Avery Henry. All four were ranked higher than Smith, although Henry’s Ohio State career was cut short by cancer.

Those decisions were based on what the programs saw in the recruits at the time. But Smith and Jones have since developed into major contributors at Indiana, showing how much can change between high school recruiting and college football.

“Growing up around Big Ten football, I think it really made us know where we wanted to be in terms of our futures,” Smith said. “I don’t think either of us knew when we were kids that we were going to be playing for Indiana. Growing up in that area, kids aspire to play for teams like Ohio State. But it really makes you just appreciate everything that you have.”

Jones shared that connection, explaining that he grew up watching Big Ten football and wanted to play in the conference, just as his father had.

Ryan Day’s Ohio State Faces a Tough Indiana Team

Indiana enters Saturday’s game with a 6-0 record, while Ohio State is 5-1. The matchup begins at noon ET at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, where the Hoosiers will look to extend their 22-game winning streak.

The teams last met in the Big Ten Championship Game, when Indiana won 13-10, ending Ohio State’s 30-game winning streak against the Hoosiers. Smith and Jones both played important roles in that result, and they will look to help Indiana do it again.

Ryan Day knows the Buckeyes cannot afford to lose focus against a team that has repeatedly found ways to win. Speaking about Indiana’s ability to take advantage of mistakes, Day said, “You take a play off, these guys’ll hurt ya. We can’t do that. We have to, from the jump, we have to be locked in with great concentration, everybody doing their job at a high level, and then sustain that throughout the entire game because if you don’t these guys can hurt ya, and they have.”

Ohio State will need to protect quarterback Julian Sayin and find ways to move the ball against an experienced Indiana team. Day has noted that many Hoosiers have played more than 1,000 college snaps, giving them plenty of experience in high-pressure games.

For Smith and Jones, this matchup brings their recruiting journeys back into focus. Neither received the Ohio State offer they once might have hoped for, but both have found success elsewhere. Now, with Indiana looking to protect its unbeaten record, the two Ohio natives have another opportunity to challenge the Buckeyes on the field.