Freshman quarterback for Wisconsin. 2025: 201 passing yards, 2 TD, 1 INT.
6′4″ · 208 lb · Fort Myers, FL · Bishop Verot
The numbers
passing yards · 2025
2 TD · 1 INT · 4.4 per attempt
Swing playSwung Wisconsin from 35% to 60% to win.Washington at Wisconsin · 13-10
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
1 quarterback for Wisconsin. 2025: 201 passing yards, 2 TD, 1 INT.
Buzz vs Tape
Every angle we can check here reads about where you'd expect this season.
Also checked out fine:
“How about Carter Smith converting to an outside LB or SS on defense?”
Carter Smith didn't allow a sack. He became the first Indiana player ever named Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, and PFF rates him the No. 1 returning tackle in the country. He gave up a Day 2 draft slot to run it back.
Smith's 2025 was as clean as it gets at left tackle: zero sacks allowed in the regular season, an 88.8 PFF grade across 372 pass-blocking snaps, and the first Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year award in Indiana history. PFF now ranks him the No. 1 returning offensive tackle in the country. A four-year starter, he passed up a projected Day 2 draft slot to take his final year. The forward stakes are a program's ceiling: Indiana's Playoff push runs through a blindside that, with Smith on it, is among the most secure in the sport. The most accomplished returning tackle in college football headlines a Hoosier line built to contend.
Smith is a pass-protection technician first — the cleanest profile a tackle can have. The numbers are the argument: zero sacks allowed and an 88.8 PFF grade over nearly 400 pass-blocking snaps, the kind of season that doesn't happen by accident. He's a four-year starter with the footwork and anchor to handle Big Ten edge speed and power, and PFF's No. 1 returning-tackle ranking reflects a player without an obvious hole. The blindside is the most important real estate on an offense, and Smith makes it a non-issue — which is exactly why a Playoff-hopeful line is built around him.
His career
Career arc
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score percentiles
Elite: interceptions (97th percentile). Concern: pass yards (0th percentile).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 4 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 41.5 | 0.0 | 3.8 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 59.0 | 1.0 | 4.5 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 8+4g | 50.2 | 0.5 | 4.1 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Luke Fickell
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2025
Earning real snaps in the rotation without a starting job.
| Season | Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Wisconsin | 26 | 46 | 56.5% | 201 | 4.4 | 2 | 1 | 103.2 | 27 | -- | -- |
| Career | 26 | 46 | 56.5% | 201 | 4.4 | 2 | 1 | 103.2 | 27 | -- | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Wisconsin | 44 | 87 | 2.0 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 44 | 87 | 2.0 | 1 | -- |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 11 · 2025
W 13–10
vs Washington
8 yds · 0 TD · 0 INT · QBR 12.5 · 47 rush yds (15 car) · 1 TD
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 3 at home.
With S. West — 24 yds · 0 TD · 0 INT · QBR 100.0 · A. Bertrams — 37 AVG · 2 IN 20 · 43 LONG
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 4 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 11 | W 13-10vs Washington | 3/12 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 12.5 | |
| Wk 12 | L 7-31@ Indiana | 9/15 | 98 | 1 | 1 | 6.5 | 68.8 | Season-high 98 yds |
| Wk 13 | W 27-10vs Illinois | 9/11 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 6.8 | 25.0 | |
| Wk 14 | L 7-17@ Minnesota | 5/8 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 2.5 | 59.7 | |
| Total | 26/46 | 201 | 2 | 1 | 4.1 | 41.5 |
2026 Outlook
Wisconsin
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Quarterback · Wisconsin
Returning around him
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Wisconsin · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #30 · 2026 recruiting class #78
2025 Season: Played in four games, making three starts at quarterback during his true freshman season … became the first Badger true freshman to start at QB since Jay Macias in 1991 … made debut against No. 23 Washington on Nov. 8, entering in relief of Danny O’Neil, and helped guide UW to its fi...