IU football adds another top-10 in-state recruit. Here's why Franklin DL picked Hoosiers

Indianapolis Star

03-05-2025

Blake Smythe grew up going to IU football games. His grandfather, Mark Smythe, played for the Hoosiers in the early 1980s and his grandmother, Tanya, was a cheerleader at IU during that time.
Considering the family history, it might have seemed like destiny for the 6-3, 275-pound Smythe, a junior defensive lineman at Franklin, to end up committing to IU. Smythe picked IU over a group of five, specifically Illinois and Wisconsin, during a commitment ceremony Friday night.
The decision was in part due to his family's connection — and that he will be just 45 minutes from home. But his commitment also offers some insight into where IU might stand in the eyes of in-state recruits after the Hoosiers went 11-2 in Curt Cignetti's first season as coach. IU picked up a commitment last week from Decatur Central star receiver Kasmir Hicks, giving the Hoosiers two homegrown players in the current seven-player recruiting class.
'(IU) is going to be competing for the College Football Playoff from now on,' Smythe said Saturday. 'What (defensive coordinator Bryant) Haines does with the defense really fits my play perfectly — getting vertical and reading blocks and making tackles in the backfield. And I just like the culture they have right now. Everybody is so confident in the building.'
The Hoosiers are getting a motivated player in Smythe, who made 96 tackles as a junior, including 13 for a loss and 5 ½ sacks. The three-star prospect did not really see his recruitment take off until during his junior season when he picked up his first offer from Illinois. Several others followed, including an official offer from Indiana in January.
He eventually whittled down to six: Indiana, Illinois, Louisville, Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin. But it was really a three-team race between Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.
'The biggest thing with Wisconsin is that it was six hours away,' he said. 'I didn't want to go that far away from home. Illinois was really close as well. I really like coach (Bret Bielema).'
But the draw of playing at IU was too appealing for Smythe, who is rated as the No. 10 in-state prospect in the 2026 class On3sports Industry ranking, to go anywhere else.
'(The coaches) talked to me about playing anywhere on the defensive line, but mostly on the interior,' Smythe said. 'I can slip out to the edge spot, for sure. If everything works out, I believe I could come in as a freshman and probably start. That's a big thing, too. I like to prove people wrong. I feel like I was underrated until this winter. I really didn't have much (college interest) until last year. I feel like I got snubbed from some things I wanted to achieve. So, I want to go out and prove people wrong and go make a statement in high school football.'
Franklin coach Chris Coll believes Smythe has the physical tools and mental makeup to make it to the NFL someday.
'I think he's going to be an interior guy,' Coll said. 'At his height and once you get to that level of nutrition and strength program in the Big Ten, I think you'll see him at 300 pounds or more. With his athleticism, I think he has a legit chance to play in the league someday. He's physically explosive and he will only develop further. You never know. It's always a long shot (for the NFL) if you are talking about a five-star or a three-star. But I think Blake has that kind of potential, along with the mindset, and a great family and support system. I think he has a chance to get there, and he's not shy about his goals.'
Coll jokes the offense in practice 'gets nothing done' when Smythe is on the defensive line. Since he came in as a freshman and earned a starting spot, Smythe has 202 total tackles, including 30 for a loss, and 16 sacks. Franklin, a Class 5A program, was 4-7 last year.
'Our biggest challenge from a team perspective is to raise the level of play around him,' Coll said. 'He is going to have double teams and teams scheming against him. He's completely disruptive on the defensive line. He's a great mix of being driven but also being coachable. He wants to be good and, for a young kid, has a good grasp of what it takes to get to that level.'
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Smythe said he will graduate early from Franklin and enroll in January at IU, which means this is his final spring playing baseball. He is hitting .310 with five doubles and 19 RBIs through 14 games for the Grizzly Cubs and owns a 1-0 record with 1.97 earned run average on the mound in 10 2/3 innings.
Once baseball season is over, Smythe will turn his full attention to getting ready for his senior year of football.
'My biggest thing is help my team win the (Mid-State Conference), but also to mentally get ready for Big Ten football, too,' he said. 'I want to take every rep like I'm going against a 315-pound college lineman.'