There unfortunately hasn't been a ton of good news surrounding the Wisconsin football program over the past few days. Everyone knows all about the loss to Minnesota, which resulted in the Badgers closing out the season with a 5-7 record.
On top of that, multiple players have already announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal. You can go ahead and add another negative to the list for head coach Luke Fickell and his staff, as a 2025 commit is no longer Madison-bound.
On Monday, kicker/punter Erik Schmidt took to social media to announce he flipped his commitment from Wisconsin to Notre Dame. Schmidt, a 3-star prospect out of Milwaukee, is ranked the No. 1 kicker by the 247Sports Composite. He was a major special teams get for the Badgers, but he has decided to play for the Fighting Irish instead:
Home ☘️ pic.twitter.com/YIIlmHAz1K
— Erik (@Erik_Schmidt22) December 2, 2024
Kicker Erik Schmidt has flipped his commitment from Wisconsin to Notre Dame
The hits just keep on coming for Fickell. Not only is Schmidt a fantastic kicker, but he's got a bright future punting as well - he's a stud in that department too. It seemed like Schmidt was locked in to stay home and play for Wisconsin, but a last second change of heart has arrived.
This is a blow for Wisconsin, as the Early Signing Period is set to open up on Dec. 4. Now, instead of making things official with the Badgers, Schmidt will be rocking Notre Dame gear on Wednesday. Despite Schmidt heading elsewhere, Wisconsin and Fickell still have a strong class on the way.
Things are of course highlighted by 4-star quarterback Carter Smith and 4-star defensive lineman Jaylen Williams - both were previously committed to Michigan. While that's good news, the loss of Schmidt came a bit out of nowhere. It will be back to the drawing board for the coaches to find a new kicking specialist for the '25 haul.