At this time roughly one year ago, Carter Smith made an early commitment to Michigan. He chose the Wolverines over scholarships from North Carolina State, Penn State, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Florida, among many others.
But earlier this fall, Michigan reinvested in Bryce Underwood, a five-star quarterback just outside of Ann Arbor.
"There was a ton of stress and anxiety for us because Carter was all set for Michigan and we found a home there," Dan Smith, Carter's father, told BadgerBlitz.com. "He was devastated and it was hard to take in. When we were making our decision to look elsewhere, we talked about schools already having already having a quarterback in place and not being in a position to truly recruit us."
The Smith family had to move quickly, especially with Carter set to enroll at the school of his choice in January. On Oct. 30, the four-star prospect decommitted from the Wolverines. During the weekend of Nov. 15, Smith took an official visit with the Badgers. In between, recruiting staffers Max Stienecker and Pat Lambert saw him in person at Bishop Verot High School in Florida.
"It was a great weekend but we were running on an hour or two of sleep," Dan Smith said. "Carter played his game and then we had to watch the (Mike) Tyson fight. We got picked up at 5:00 AM and were kind of zombies where we got there, but Max and Pat did a phenomenal job. They got us in front of everything we wanted to see.
"Academics were first class and Coach Brady (Collins) had me ready to get in the squat rack during the visit. It just felt right and we loved the atmosphere at the game. Badger Nation was incredible and we felt all 80,000 of the fans. The Michigan deal was really unexpected. We were blindsided but it was good to have some connections to the Wisconsin program because we felt it would be a similar fit to what Michigan was. That Midwest, old-school college town that is based around culture and tradition."
Admittedly, Dan was sold on the Badgers after the official, but Carter needed a few more days. Earlier this week he delivered the news to head coach Luke Fickell but also informed Seminoles coach Mike Norvell he would not visit Tallahassee this weekend.
"When Carter called me yesterday (Wednesday), the blood just let through my body to release that tension. I'm just really happy for him and excited for the future," Smith said. "Florida State got in the mix, along with multiple other schools. But Wisconsin really caught his attention. He really wanted to check out Wisconsin and then go see where Florida State was at. We had a great relationship with Coach Norvell, but once we got to Madison it was just the right fit. It truly fits the type of kid Carter is."
During the course of Smith's second recruitment, Wisconsin fired Phil Longo. And though the former offensive coordinator played a minimal part in the process, Smith acknowledged they are putting a lot of trust in Fickell moving forward.
"Coach Fickell was very adamant in trusting that he would bring in the right guy," Dan Smith said. "The worst case if that we go there for a year and it doesn't work out with the coordinator; it is what it is. But Coach Fickell really bonded with Carter even though it was a short amount of time.
"Carter spent a lot of time with Coach Fickell and he's very comfortable there. It is a bit of a leap of faith, but we know they will get the hire right. What he wants to do in the future fits Carter very well and we're just excited to see who it is."
Prior to high school, a shot at professional baseball appeared to be in Smith's future. Now, the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the country is set to sign with the Badgers on Dec. 4.
"It's been a wild ride, especially since Carter was actually the No. 1 shortstop in the country at 14 years old by Perfect Game," Dan Smith said. "I was very big on when Aug. 1 hits, it's football time and he doesn't touch a baseball until February. And then from that time until the summer, he was all in on baseball. We didn't do the private QB coach since he was six years old. We really tried to balance both and we're very happy with how things played out.
"His athleticism, toughness and ability to throw on the run stands out. That's a huge part of his game. This year compared to last year, he's really hanging in the pocket and doing a nice job with that. He can really let it rip right now and Coach Fickell is excited about that. But more than anything, he fits the culture and the toughness they're looking for. I think it's a match made in heaven. He truly believes in Coach Fickell and the special vision he has for the program.
"Everything happens for a reason and this couldn't have worked out any better for us."
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