How did Wisconsin's spring roster come to be? This week, BadgerBlitz.com is looking at each position and breaking down its origins:
Where did each player come from? How have they progressed? What do their futures hold?
Today, we conclude with a breakdown of the specialists. As always, it starts with recruiting.
RELATED: QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | TIGHT ENDS | WIDE RECEIVERS | OFFENSIVE LINEMEN | DEFENSIVE LINEMEN | OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS | INSIDE LINEBACKERS | CORNERBACKS | SAFETIES |
The History
2016: Wisconsin's original plan was to take two scholarship specialists in the 2016 class: punter Anthony Lotti and long snapper Jake Cesear, both of whom performed well at the Badgers' summer camp in 2015. Lotti did arrive at UW on full scholarship, but Cesear, who suffered a broken femur in February of 2016, was bumped down to a walk-on. He enrolled but left the program soon after.
2017: The Badgers sent out a full ride to Adam Stack, the younger brother of Ryan Stack, a member of the Badgers' swim team at the time. Considered one of the top kicking and punting prospects in the 2017 class, Stack eventually committed to Oregon. With that, UW added in-state kicker Collin Larsh as a preferred walk-on. Adam Bay, who played in the Under Armour All-American Game, flipped from Missouri to Wisconsin in this class. He will be a four-year starter at long snapper for the Badgers.
2018: Wisconsin did not take a specialist in this class.
2019: The 2019 specialists class was headlined by kicker Blake Wilcox, who was selected to play in the Under Armour All-America Game. But the Badgers also added Joe Stoll, who is expected to compete for the starting job at kicker this fall, and Peter Bowden, a candidate to replace Bay after the 2020 season.
2020: The Badgers added some needed depth at punter with in-state specialists Jack Van Dyke and Gavin Meyers. Duncan McKinley will almost certainly redshirt in 2020 before competing for time at long snapper the following season.
The 2020 Story
Wisconsin has some big holes to fill this off-season after the graduation of kickoff specialist Zach Hintze, in addition to Connor Allen and Anthony Lotti, the top two punters from the 2019 roster. Collin Larsh was the team’s primary kicker last fall and finished 12-for-18 on his attempts. He was a perfect 7-for-7 in kicks under 30 yards. Joe Stoll and Blake Wilcox will push him this summer and fall. Punter is wide open with Conor Schlichting and Andy Vujnovich, a transfer from the University of Dubuque, listed on the spring roster.
2021 and Beyond
In-state prospects Tyler Bittman (Arrowhead) and Owen Konopacki (Sun Prairie) both visited on March 1. Each is considered a preferred walk-on candidate at this point.
"At the moment my strengths are kicking," Bittman, who has offers from Air Force, Eastern Illinois and South Dakota, told BadgerBlitz.com. "I am working to develop into a punter and kicker. I really like all the amenities that were available to the players at Wisconsin. It was unbelievable."
"The feedback was great from Wisconsin," Konopacki, who has a scholarship from Army, told BadgerBlitz.com. "Coach (Taylor) Mehlhaff gave some very positive feedback. He said he likes me for my ability to do all three special teams positions.
"The facilities were very nice and the most important thing was how genuine the coaches were to the players and making me feel at home."
