Fickell on getting more downfield passing production
Badgers coach Luke Fickell on the possibility of seeing more downfield throws from freshman quarterback Carter Smith
Provided by Wisconsin Badgers Football
It stands to reason that Wisconsin true-freshman quarterback Carter Smith will see the field again when the Badgers face No. 2 Indiana on Nov. 15, one game after Smith was at the helm for UW’s first Big Ten win of the season.
Smith scored a game-tying touchdown in the third quarter as the Badgers shocked No. 23 Washington at Camp Randall Stadium, 13-10, on Nov. 8. He’s listed atop the depth chart alongside Hunter Simmons for the upcoming contest on the road against a team that has the biggest scoring margin in NCAA Division I FBS football this season.
Here’s what to know about Wisconsin’s young quarterback:
Where did Carter Smith go to high school?
Smith attended Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers, Florida, setting a number of county records.
He was regarded as a four-star prospect by Rivals, ESPN and On3 Sports. The latter site considered him the No. 15 overall quarterback in the 2025 class, and ESPN had him as the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback.
Carter Smith first committed to play for Michigan
Smith committed to Michigan in November 2023 but decommitted after the Wolverines began to pursue the No. 1 quarterback in the class, Bryce Underwood, who’s now the Wolverines’ starter.
After decommitting, Smith received more than 20 scholarship offers from Power 4 schools but chose Wisconsin.
Where did Carter Smith begin the season on the depth chart?
Smith was well back on the season-opening depth chart, behind starter Billy Edwards, Jr., backup Danny O’Neil and then Simmons. All three were newcomers to the program and had starting experience in college, with Edwards at Maryland, O’Neil at San Diego State and Simmons at Southern Illinois.
But an early injury to Edwards and subsequent ineffectiveness from the other two — not to mention a fresh O’Neil injury against Washington — opened the door for Smith.
O’Neil is given an injury designation on the unofficial depth chart for the Indiana game, after he was carted to the locker room with what looked like a significant lower-body injury against Washington.
Redshirt freshman Milos Spasojevic is listed behind the co-starters; he’s the only quarterback on the roster who was on last year’s team.
What were Carter Smith’s stats against Washington?
Smith only completed three of 12 passes for a mere eight yards, but he also had 15 rushes for 65 yards and a touchdown, not counting his 18 yards of loss. That 2-yard touchdown run tied the game in the third quarter.
Safe to say, Smith will be seen as a run-first quarterback until he gets more completions.
What are the Wisconsin quarterback stats this year?
O’Neil has completed 68% of his 90 passes for 635 yards, with five touchdowns and five interceptions. He also has 50 rushes for 184 yards and a touchdown.
Simmons has completed 50.5% of his passes for 485 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions.
Edwards has completed seven of 16 passes for 113 yards, without a touchdown or interception.
Will Carter Smith burn his redshirt by continuing to play for the Badgers?
In college football, players are permitted to appear in four games without losing a full year of eligibility, and bowl games don’t count against that tally (even though UW is a longshot for a bowl game).
With only three more games on the regular-season schedule, Smith won’t burn his redshirt because he’ll only appear in a maximum of four games.
Who are the other true freshmen contributing for the Badgers?
Starting linebackers Cooper Catalano, the Big Ten defensive player of the week after the win over Washington, and New Mexico native Mason Posa (the conference freshman of the week) have been the breakout stars of the second half of the season. They’re among six true freshmen in the two-deep heading into the Indiana game, with Smith as another.
Wide receiver Eugene Hilton, free safety Grant Dean and cornerback Cairo Skanes also appear in the two-deep as true freshmen.
Redshirt freshmen starters include guard Colin Cubberly, right tackle Emerson Mandell and running back Gideon Ituka. Backup center Ryan Cory is also a redshirt freshman, as is backup tight end Grant Stec, backup inside linebacker Thomas Heiberger and backup cornerbacks Omilio Agard and Raphael Dunn, plus starting punter Sean West.
