The Wisconsin Badgers have unfortunately lost a quarterback to the transfer portal following the firing of offensive coordinator Phil Longo.

The Badgers freshman reserve quarterback, Cole LaCrue, announced via On3 Sports that he would be entering the transfer portal. LaCrue entered the program a season ago and redshirt after suffering a handful of injuries throughout the year. The quarterback was never able to see the field for Wisconsin, and unfortunately, the future did not look so bright in Madison for LaCrue either.

Wisconsin has made it known that adding to the quarterback room and improving quarterback play is a top priority. The Wisconsin Badgers staff has been extremely close with 2025 four-star quarterback Carter Smith, who recently left his commitment with the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan had been publicly recruiting another higher-ranked quarterback over Smith despite his commitment, which led to his decision.

LaCrue is someone in a similar boat, as the quarterback has been buried on the depth chart after spending time injured. Wisconsin is going to continue to add to the quarterback room, with close ties to Smith and a commitment in the 2026 class from Jarin Mock already in place. The chances of LaCrue cracking the starting lineup became more dim as the season unfolded and the quarterback room struggled.

With LaCrue gone, the Wisconsin Badgers staff is now going to shift focus back towards Carter Smith, who could be the quarterback of the future for the team.

Recently, Smith was on campus for the Oregon Ducks game and had a chance to meet with the staff and conduct a photo-shoot. Smith stated he had “enjoyed” the visit, but never added much else to his comments regarding the visit. The father of Smith, however, uploaded a picture of the quarterback recruit in a Wisconsin uniform which was a pleasant sight for the fans.

Can the Wisconsin Badgers Staff Land Carter Smith Following a Recent Visit? 

While it seems as though Smith thoroughly enjoyed his time in Madison, that does not necessarily mean that the Badgers are the current leaders.

At this time, the home state Florida State Seminoles appear to be the team to beat in the race to land the talented Smith. The quarterback is a native of Fort Myers, which is roughly five hours away from Tallahassee and a hot-bed for Seminoles recruiting.

Originally when Smith committed to the Michigan Wolverines, the Seminoles had already landed a commitment at the position. However, that quickly changed after after four-star pledge Tramell Jones became the sixth commitment to leave Florida State.

The newly opened spot in the quarterback room offers Smith no real competition in the 2025 class, and also a great shot at playing next season with how terrible the quarterback play has been in Tallahassee. Smith would arguably have a similar shot at playing with the Wisconsin Badgers early, but that remains to be seen as the roster moves are not over.

Smith is scheduled to visit the Florida State Seminoles on November 29th and attend the game against the Florida Gators on November 30th. The quarterback is expected to announce his decision following the game visit, which could potentially be the event that solidifies the decision of Smith.

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