J.T. Smith earned an offer last summer after he camped at Wisconsin, then returned to Madison for the 2021 season opener against Penn State. The contact and interest continues as his recruiting process accelerates towards his senior year.

UW continues to keep in touch with Smith at least once or twice a week, according to the 5-foot-10, 200-pound junior. That includes talks with defensive line coach Ross Kolodziej, and Smith also noted that his high school head coach has spoken with Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst.

When asked how the Badgers believe they could possibly use him within its offense, Smith noted the program's key addition to its coaching staff.

“Well, they're going through a phase right now with the new offensive coordinator [Bobby Engram]," Smith told BadgerBlitz.com on Thursday. "They're just trying to fill out what type of players they need, and they said I'm still high on their board. They just want to see me get better as a player, keep getting better as a player, and they want me to come back up in Madison.”