While the craze of the Wisconsin Badgers offense has been focused on the starting quarterback, a 2025 class addition could be the real star.
Carter Smith, a three-star signee in the 2025 class, was one of the top additions for the Wisconsin Badgers on the high school recruiting front this off-season. Smith, who was originally a Michigan commitment, flipped to Wisconsin shortly after top-ranked 2025 recruit and five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood announced his own flip from LSU to Michigan.
Out of all the chaos surrounding Michigan, Underwood staying home, and Smith decommitting from the program, the Wisconsin Badgers became the real winners of the situation. Smith represents a great addition for the program at a position of need as well as the quarterback play in Madison has been subpar the last few seasons. Badgers Coach Luke Fickell has not seen the best play out of the position during his tenure with the program thus far, but Smith could be the one who shifts the tides in the future.
Carter Smith Could Offer the Wisconsin Badgers Much Needed Versatility at Quarterback
Previously, Wisconsin had tried to make the new offense work without a quarterback that is both capable and comfortable with rushing the football. The issue stalled the offense in the backfield, as play-action was no longer as effective and read options became strict running back hand-offs.
With the addition of Smith, however, Wisconsin could see the offense click on all levels given the skill set of the quarterback and the time that Smith will have to develop. Both Danny O’Neil and Billy Edwards Jr are ahead of Smith on the depth chart currently but can offer developmental help to the quarterback that will pay off in the future. The extra development can truly benefit the young quarterback as both O’Neil and Edwards Jr have very similar styles of play and could allow for Smith to develop into the best fit for the program.
Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
On the field, Smith has a lively arm and with the right footing the quarterback can launch 40 yard throws down that field with solid accuracy. Smith is still developing while on the run but the quarterback has both the arm talent and field awareness to pull-off exceptional completions while escaping pressure.
In addition to being able to escape pressure and utilize his arm, Smith also has a great internal clock and rarely finds himself stuck in the pocket. The quarterback knows when time is up and can slide outside of the pocket and deliver a completion down field without fear. Perhaps one of the more impressive aspects of the game of Smith involves his pocket awareness and ability to make a play in the air or on the ground before facing a loss.
For the Wisconsin Badgers, Smith could be the quarterback of the future due to the maturity he has shown early in addition to his great physical skills. With the right combination of time and development, Smith could be the top quarterback on the roster within the next two seasons.
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