Wisconsin is offer No. 1 for 2023 safety Julian Smith

Julian Smith said he will remember his first scholarship offer, an opportunity that came last week courtesy of the Wisconsin Badgers.

A 6-foot-1, 180-pound projected safety from Garces High School in California, Smith shared the moment with his father after a conversation with recruiting assistant Dylan Packer.

"I was talking with one of their recruiting assistants for a few weeks," Smith told BadgerBlitz.com. "Then I got in contact with him again to see how things were going. He said how good my film looked and he offered on the spot.

"It was a relief and a lot of pressure off my back. It showed me that the hard work is paying off. I hugged my dad and it was just a great feeling."

Smith, who had 46 tackles, 6.5 sacks and three pass breakups as a junior, is looking forward to connecting with coordinator Jim Leonhard in the near future.

"What stood out to Wisconsin was my footwork and how I attack the ball," Smith said. "They really like that I have an eye for the ball and that I can make plays.

"I know about Wisconsin and that's a school that does interest me right now. I know it's far from home but it's a dream come true and I'll remember during my recruitment that Wisconsin came in first."

Still early in the process, Smith, a first-team all-league (Southwest Yosemite) pick this fall, said he heard from a handful of other schools after UW's scholarship.

"After the Wisconsin offer I heard from Washington, Colorado and San Jose State, and hopefully there are more to come," Smith said. "I don't have any visits planned right now but I will for sure get out to Wisconsin now that I have the offer.

"To me, I don't care where I go to school. I know it would be cold being all the way out there at Wisconsin or other schools by them, but that really doesn't bother me."

In the 2023 class, Wisconsin has offered projected safeties Marvin Burks (St. Louis, MO) and Rahmir Stewart (Philadelphia, PA), in addition to Smith.