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Four-star QB and former Michigan player Carter Smith trades to Wisconsin Badgers

Posted on by L. Dreeye
Four-star QB and former Michigan player Carter Smith trades to Wisconsin Badgers

If you turn an “M” you get a “W,” and what bigger win could there be for a Big Ten team than getting one of the best defensive players in the country technically committed to your opponent?

Carter Smith announced his intention to return to Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon. The four-star quarterback stayed with Michigan for nearly a year before leaving the team on Oct. 30. Nearly a month later, he committed to the Badgers and became the second senior quarterback to commit to Wisconsin this cycle.

Smith shined as a four-year starter for Bishop Verot. He was named the 2023 Gatorade Florida Player of the Year after throwing for 2,223 yards and 29 touchdowns, rushing for 715 yards and scoring another 19 scores. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound dual-threat player holds 10 area records, including single-season passing yards (3,104), record passing yards (8,738), single-season passing touchdowns (29) and total season passing touchdowns. . one season (48).

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How did Wisconsin get quarterback Carter Smith?

The Badgers were among the first to pick up the phone after Smith left the team last month. Smith told USA Today that Wisconsin went out of its way to sign him out of every school that had a chance, and by Nov. 16, they invited him to campus for the Oregon game.

Almost a year after Smith arrived in Michigan, he was on an official visit to Camp Randall as a recruit.

“It was incredible,” Smith said of his visit to Madison when the Badgers played No. 1 Oregon. “From the atmosphere to the people there, even outside the building, everyone was very genuine, good people. I was delighted.”

Reports have been circulating about Michigan’s interest in Bryce Underwood, a homegrown guard and the nation’s top recruit. Those reports highlighted that Underwood was given a lucrative zero-sum deal to dissuade him from committing to LSU, with four-year deals valued at between $5 million and $12 million.

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Combined with increased talk of quarterback fundraising from Michigan fans and alumni, the Michigan quarterback saga has become too much for Smith to ignore.

So he backed out of the commitment, and there were plenty of suitors waiting in the wings, namely Wisconsin. Florida State also made a late move for Smith, culminating in the abandonment of longtime Seminoles pledge and cornerback Tramell Jones Jr. But in the end, it was the Badgers, and everyone (except Florida State) got their guy after Underwood’s eventual throw. to the Wolverines.

Where does Carter Smith fit in?

Smith is ranked second in Florida’s top 100 by USA Today and the No. 32 player in the state. He is the No. 15 ranked cornerback in the country, No. 26 in Florida and the No. 164 overall recruit in the country, according to 247Sports.

Sports reporter Alex Martin contributed to this story.