Analyst predicts Wisconsin will land star high school QB from Florida

Carter Smith holds two handfuls of career passing records in the Fort Myers area.

Carter Smith, the quarterback of the Bishop Verot football team throws during the Class 2A-District 10 championship against Glades Central at Bishop Verot on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. Smith broke Lee County's all-time passing record. He was throwing into the end zone for a touchdown, but it was ruled incomplete. / Andrew West/The News-Press/USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Carter Smith is ranked as one of the best high school quarterbacks in the country and there's a chance that he winds up committing to the Wisconsin Badgers. In fact, On3 recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong is predicting, albeit with "low" confidence, that Smith will wind up at Wisconsin.

Smith, ranked by On3 as the No. 18 quarterback in the national class of 2025, decommitted from Michigan last week and he's due in Madison for an official visit with the Badgers on Nov. 16. That just so happens to be the day Wisconsin hosts No. 1 Oregon in football, while the night before will see the Badgers men's basketball team host No. 10 Arizona at the Kohl Center.

"Wisconsin is the one I have my eye on with an official visit slated for next weekend," Wiltfong wrote. "However, if [Florida State] loses [fellow QB recruit Tramell Jones] I would expect the Seminoles to go all in on Smith."

Oregon, Central Florida, Louisville, Utah and West Virginia have also been in contact with Smith, per On3.

On Thursday night, Smith threw for 205 yards and became the all-time passing leader in Lee County, Florida history. In fact, his 8,648 career passing yards are the most in county history — a county with 834,000 residents — but only one of Smith's nine county records, according to Fort Myers News-Press.

• Passing yards, career (8,648)
• Passing yards, single season (3,104, 2022)
• Passing and rushing yards, career (11,123)
• Passing and rushing yards, single season (3,796, 2022)
• Rushing yards by a quarterback, career (2,475)
• Total touchdowns accounted for, career (140)
• Total touchdowns, single season (48, 2022 and 2023)
• Passing touchdowns, single season (29, 2022 and 2023)
• Rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, single season (19, 2022 and 2023)

Listed at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Smith had been verbally committed to Michigan since last November before withdrawing his commitment on Oct. 30. 247Sports' composite rankings have him rated as the No. 158 player in the country and the No. 14 quarterback.

As a junior at Bishop Verot High School, Smith was named the 2023 Gatorade Florida Player of the Year. He completed 62.4% of his passes for 2,223 yards, 29 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He is a dual threat, as he added 715 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground.

Wisconsin has quarterback Landyn Locke, the younger brother of current quarterback Braedyn Locke, committed to its 2025 class, but adding a player of Smith's caliber is an opportunity that Luke Fickell and his staff cannot pass up.