Anatomy of a Position: Wisconsin Badgers Special Teams
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 | WIDE RECEIVERS | TIGHT ENDS | OFFENSIVE LINEMEN | DEFENSIVE LINEMEN | OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS | INSIDE LINEBACKERS | CORNERBACKS | SAFETIES |
| YEAR | PLAYER | POSITION | CURRENT |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2020 |
P |
Wisconsin |
|
|
2020 |
LS |
Wisconsin |
|
|
2020 |
K |
Graduated |
|
|
2021 |
K |
Wisconsin |
|
|
2022 |
K |
Wisconsin |
|
|
2023 |
LS |
Kansas State |
|
|
2024 |
K |
Arriving this summer |
|
|
2024 |
LS |
Arriving this summer |
THE HISTORY
2020: The Badgers added some needed depth at kicker with in-state specialist Jack Van Dyke, who handled kickoffs as a true freshman but battled injuries during his time at Wisconsin. Gavin Meyers has the ability to kick and punt for the Badgers, but settled in at the latter midway through his career. Long snapper Duncan McKinley tore his ACL prior to fall camp in 2021 but was healthy last fall.
Wisconsin added Andy Vujnovich, a Columbus, Wis., native who began his career at Dubuque, via the transfer portal.
2021: Illinois kicker Nate Van Zelst chose a walk-on offer from Wisconsin over scholarships from Air Force, Army, Eastern Illinois and Yale. The Badgers let both Tyler Bittmann (Iowa State) and Owen Konopacki (Air Force) leave the state.
2022: Gavin Lahm, an in-state kicker from Kaukauna, was the lone specialist Wisconsin added in this class. He was a first-team all-state by pick by the WFCA and Associated Press as a senior.
Via the transfer portal, the Badgers signed Vito Calvaruso, a kicker from Arkansas. He was full scholarship at UW but entered the transfer portal after one year with the program.
2023: Via the transfer portal, Wisconsin added a scholarship kicker in Nathanial Vakos and a scholarship punter in Atticus Bertrams. Vakos hit all 34 of his extra points and went 15-for-19 on field goals, but Bertrams was inconsistent and averaged just 41.3 yards per attempt.
The Badgers also landed walk-on long snapper Keane Bessert in this class, though he transferred to Kansas State this offseason.
2024: Via the transfer portal, Wisconsin landed signatures from Gianni Smith, a kickoff specialist, as well as Cayson Ffeiffer, who is expected to take over for Peter Bowden at long snapper. In-state seniors Sean West (kicker) and Deed Capper (long snapper) are arriving in Madison this summer.
| No. | Names | Class | Ht/Wt | Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
99 |
Cayson Pfeiffer |
Sixth year |
6-0/212 |
LS |
|
28 |
Gavin Meyers |
Fifth year |
6-1/202 |
K |
|
64 |
Duncan McKinley |
Fifth year |
6-2/227 |
LS |
|
29 |
Nate Van Zelst |
Fourth year |
5-11/194 |
K |
|
90 |
Nathanial Vakos |
Third year |
6-1/205 |
K |
|
97 |
Gavin Lahm |
Third year |
6-0/212 |
K |
|
49 |
Atticus Bertrams |
Second year |
6-3/224 |
P |
SPRING CAMP STORY
Wisconsin is expected to have scholarship starters across the board in Cayson Pfeiffer (long snapper), Nathanial Vakos (kicker) and Atticus Bertrams (punter). Of the three, Bertrams needs to show improvement in year two with the program. Gianni Smith, who played last season at Portland State, should give UW an upgrade on kickoffs. The graduate transfer saw 44 of 62 of kickoffs go for touchbacks (71 percent) in 2023. Gavin Lahm had 12 of his 32 opportunities go for touchbacks (37 percent) last fall.
In terms of returning kicks, Wisconsin needs to replace the 23 combined kicks and punts that Chimere Dike fielded. Dike's reliable hands always made him a safe option, but his lack of top-end speed and acceleration also always made him a relatively low-ceiling option. Enter Vinny Anthony, who possesses both top-end speed and acceleration in spades. He fielded 20 combined kicks and punts last fall, and figures to be the favorite to man at least one of those jobs this fall. Other options include redshirt freshman Trech Kekahuna, who flashed some return ability in the ReliaQuest Bowl, and Michigan State transfer Tyrell Henry, who returned 25 kicks and punts for the Spartans last year.
CLASS OF 2025
Wisconsin targeted in-state kicker Erik Schmidt in this recruiting cycle. The standout from Marquette currently has a preferred walk-on offer from Wisconsin, as well as full rides from Notre Dame and Missouri. He is expected to visit UW officially the weekend of June 14. Schmidt is currently ranked as the No. 6 kicker and No. 3 punter in the country, according to Kohls.
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