Two-A-Days Tour: Michigan QB commit Carter Smith motivated to make history, meet Brady Hart in state final

Carter Smith joined an exclusive club when he won Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Florida last season.

Legends like Emmitt Smith, Anquan Boldin, Willis McGahee and Derrick Henry have also taken home the hardware since the award’s inception in 1985. Carter, however, has a chance to do what nobody before him was able to do — win the honor twice.

Smith is coming off a sensational junior season that saw him pass for 2,223 yards and 29 touchdowns and rush for 719 yards and 19 touchdowns en route to leading Fort Myers (Fla.) Bishop Verot to an appearance in the state quarterfinals.

The On300 Michigan commit beat out five-star Ohio State wide receiver signee Jeremiah Smith, the nation’s No. 1 ranked recruit in the 2024 class, and several other elite players from one of the best high school football playing states in America for the Gatorade distinction.

Doing the same this year would make history.

“It was definitely really exciting (to win the award),” Smith said. “I was able to beat out some really good players, so it meant a lot. It’s been a year, so it’s time to leave that in the past and move on and hopefully get another one.”

Despite the accolades and film that proves he’s one of the country’s best dual-threat quarterbacks, Smith still has plenty of doubters.

Smith participated in just one offseason event in the spring — the Elite 11 Regional in Orlando, where he wasn’t given an invitation to the finals. Smith also fell in the rankings across various recruiting services.

He’s not an elite passer. He can’t even make it to the Elite 11 finals. He’s afraid to compete at camps and 7-on-7’s. All of that and more was discussed on forums and social media throughout the offseason.

“It doesn’t affect me,” Smith said. “It’s not my problem. I’m just going to get out there and throw some touchdowns and run some in, too. I don’t believe in all the social media stuff. The only reason I have it is because we have to build a brand nowadays. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even have it. It’s not my thing. I like doing my deal.”

Instead of paying attention to the Internet or wasting time at camps and recruiting events that have been overrun by Instagram influencers and wannabe NIL agents, Smith worked in the shadows.

Smith made several drives from Fort Myers to Jacksonville to work with private quarterbacks coach Will Hewlett, who played a key role in the transformation of rising NFL star Brock Purdy. He also stayed closer to home and learned from fellow private quarterbacks coach Ken Mastrole, who trains a number of NFL arms.  

There were no videos or tweets from those sessions. Smith was there to work and get better. And that’s exactly what he did.

“All these people are worried about camps and stuff,” Smith said. “I just got on the field and threw. Both helped me out a lot, especially my feet. Just little things like reminding me to use my hips and some other stuff.”

When he wasn’t training, Smith was at Bishop Verot, throwing with his teammates and hitting the weight room.

“He had an incredible offseason,” said Bishop Verot head coach Richie Rode. “He hit the weight room more than ever before. He really honed in on the little details that will take his game to the next level. He’s highly motivated to continue doing some personal things and extremely motivated to take this team to another level.  We’ve seen the increase in steps he’s taken. He looks great.

“It’s all about fine tuning the details, quickening his release and working on his feet and hips a little more. It’s been fun to see. He works as hard as anybody. What makes him special is he’s never satisfied. He always wants to improve.”

Case in point: July 27.

Smith had already booked a flight from Fort Myers to Detroit for the annual BBQ at The Big House at Michigan. However, the date conflicted with team-related activities at Bishop Verot, which was slated to begin practice that Monday.

Smith is already a verbal pledge to the Wolverines and could have easily skipped everything to spend more time at his future home. Instead, Smith put his current team first and canceled his trip.

“It’s a great example,” Rode said. “It was unfortunate he wasn’t able to go. He deserves to enjoy things like that. We wanted him to go. But it’s a big testament to who he is and his love for the locker room and his teammates. That’s more important to him than anything. It speaks highly of his character and what Michigan is going to get. He’ll give them the same dedication and passion that he’s given us.”

While winning another Gatorade Player of the Year would be nice, Smith has one thing on his mind — avenging a heartbreaking loss to Sarasota (Fla.) Booker in last year’s playoffs. Smith and Bishop Verot had an off night, turning the ball over seven times in a game where they were highly favored to win.

Bishop Verot has a tough few months ahead, including a colossal matchup with national powerhouse Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas to open up the season this week. But you can bet Smith is ready.

“I’m very motivated,” Smith said. “We’ve lost in that round twice now. To get past it would be pretty nice, but we’re going for a state championship. There is a lot of motivation around the team.”

About 200 miles northeast of Fort Myers on Florida’s Space Coast is another Michigan quarterback commit with the same goal. While Smith is gunning for his second straight Gatorade Player of the Year, Brady Hart is aiming for his second straight title.

That’s right. All roads to a state championship run through Hart and Cocoa (Fla.) High.   

“That would be really fun,” Smith said. “They’ve been a state powerhouse for a while. Playing good competition is always exciting. Playing Brady would be great. He’s a good kid and a good player. It would be fun for Michigan fans and good for us to compete.”

A Smith-Hart quarterback battle in Ann Arbor is inevitable. But that’ll have to wait a couple of years. Right now, all eyes are set on Smith’s run at history and a potential Verot-Cocoa clash in the state final in December.

As if Smith needed more motivation.