Amid Wisconsin’s six game losing streak, it may be time for Luke Fickell to make a QB change — and there isn’t a better time than right now.
Carter Smith, a 6’3, 200 pound true freshman quarterback from Fort Myers, FL has been waiting in the wings as the Badgers struggle to find a replacement for redshirt senior Billy Edwards Jr.
In Big Ten play this year, Wisconsin has averaged just 219 yards of total offense per game, as compared to just last year, a team that also missed bowl eligibility, had 349 per game. Given the current state of the offense, Carter Smith deserves a shot.
The timing for Smith to make his collegiate debut is perfect for three major reasons: eligibility, the bye week and he gets to start at Camp Randall.
For starters, according to the 2024-2025 NCAA Division I Manual, a player can enter four games without burning their redshirt. Wisconsin only has four games left on their schedule: home against Washington (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) Nov. 8, at No. 2 Indiana (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) Nov. 15, home against Illinois (5-3, 2-3 Big Ten) Nov. 22, and the axe game at Minnesota (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) Nov. 29. Provided that Smith would play in all of these games, he wouldn’t even have the chance to burn his first year of eligibility.
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Secondly, it’s a bye week this week. Smith is a true freshman. Getting him extra time is one of the biggest benefits the program could possibly give to a QB getting his first start midseason — Smith could start preparing for Washington as soon as tomorrow and he wouldn’t even have to make it public until 90 minutes before gametime. This allows for an even larger advantage for Wisconsin, presumably rendering Washington unprepared for Smith.
Finally, it’s a home game. One of the toughest feats to accomplish as a collegiate football player is to go into your first start and perform well. Contrasting from redshirt Senior Hunter Simmons’ first FBS start at the Big House, Smith would be making his debut at home, in front of a crowd that has been clamoring for him for three weeks now. This is also, stakes-wise, arguably the easiest game remaining on the schedule, putting Smith into the best situation for him to thrive.
In addition to the prior points, Wisconsin established a ground game against No. 6 Oregon (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) with redshirt freshman Gideon Ituka and a very solid defense to back him up on the opposite side of the ball.
The lights have never been brighter and the signs have never been clearer for a QB change to occur, so Smith should be the obvious choice next Saturday.