Wisconsin football lands 2025 4-star quarterback Carter Smith
Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers football program picked up a commitment from a blue-chip quarterback recruit in the class of 2025.
Head coach Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin football program have landed a potential cornerstone piece for their 2025 recruiting class.
After taking an official visit to Madison during the Badgers' showdown with No. 1 Oregon, four-star quarterback Carter Smith announced his commitment to Wisconsin, officially shutting down his recruitment.
Smith, a composite top-200 prospect, is ranked as the No. 164 overall player in the 2025 class, the No. 15 quarterback, and the No. 26 recruit in his home state of Florida.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound signal-caller chose Wisconsin over offers from Florida State, UCF, Louisville, Michigan, Georgia, Miami, Ole Miss, Penn State, Texas A&M, and a handful of other top programs.
With a composite rating of 0.9317, Smith is Wisconsin's most highly regarded high school quarterback commit since Graham Mertz in 2019. He also stands as the top-rated player in the Badgers recruiting class.
The Florida native initially committed to the Michigan Wolverines in November 2023 but de-committed and re-opened his recruitment in October. After that, Wisconsin pushed their chips all-in on pursuing Smith, with Fickell viewing him as a QB in the mold of Desmond Ridder, whom he coached at Cincinnati and helped lead his team to the College Football Playoffs.
The Badgers' recruitment of Smith was a full-team effort, spearheaded by Fickell alongside Director of Recruiting Pat Lambert and General Manger Max Stienecker, ensuring that Smith remained a top priority.
During his prep career at Bishop Verot High School, Smith put up some ridiculous numbers, throwing for 8,864 yards, 85 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. According to MaxPreps, the dual-threat quarterback was equally dangerous on the ground, racking up 2,586 rushing yards and 56 touchdowns on 473 carries over 46 career starts for the Vikings.
“Carter has all of the intangibles,” Smith’s high school football coach, Richie Rode, told Badgernotes. “He is an excellent teammate, locker room and culture guy, and a great leader for his teammates. He’s incredibly competitive and cares more about winning and the team than any personal accolades he could receive.
“He’s the most talented player I have ever coached, who is also as high character of a person as it gets.”
A tough quarterback with plenty of athleticism, Smith represents the type of player the Badgers have been targeting to elevate their offense.
On tape, Smith shows solid distribution skills and quick decision-making, particularly in the RPO game. Though his unorthodox mechanics—like a low release point and off-platform throws—could benefit from refinement, he’s proven to be effective on the move and excels in making plays outside of structure.
That said, Smith needs to clean up his footwork a little and improve his ball placement to reach his ceiling.
When the pocket breaks down, Smith's knack for evading pressure and using his legs to pick up extra yardage could bring a dimension to the Badgers offense that has been missing. As a runner, Smith is elusive but doesn’t shy away from contact. Smith has a toughness about him that makes him an ideal fit for Wisconsin football.
With time to sit and develop behind an experienced option, Smith has all the physical tools necessary to lead a Power 4 offense that schemes around a QBs mobility in the run game.
Smith joining the fold provides the Badgers optimism at a position that could soon see significant turnover. For Fickell, landing Smith signals a potential turning point in establishing long-term stability at the position.
His commitment gives Wisconsin four top-300 commitments in the 2025 class, joining linebacker Mason Posa, offensive lineman Hardy Watts, and edge rusher Jaylen Williams. In total, the Badgers have seven four-star recruits in a class that ranks No. 24 nationally according to the composite.
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Well, after a train-wreck loss for Badger's football, this gives a glimmer of hope for the future. Hope he doesn't bail.