How Nathanial Vakos stabilized Wisconsin’s kicker position

Madison — Wisconsin kicker Nathanial Vakos regularly hits high-pressure kicks in front of 75,000 fans at Camp Randall Stadium. Initially, though, his athletic dreams were centered on the other kind of football.

“This was never my route. I was always gonna do soccer my whole life,” he told BadgerBlitz.com.

The summer after eighth grade, his club soccer coach saw the makings of a placekicker in Vakos. He knew the high school football coach at Avon in Ohio, his hometown, and offered a concise yet telling endorsement.

“I know this kid. He’s got a big leg.”

Vakos was invited to kick at a varsity practice, and he put on a show. He went to a couple of camps, honed his skills, and the rest is history.

“I thought it was a better route for me,” he said. “It worked out pretty good.”

Vakos began his career in the MAC at Ohio University, about a three hour drive from Avon. He wasted no time making a name for himself, hitting 22 field goals and 98 percent of his extra points on his way to Freshman All-American honors.

In just his second game ever, Vakos played in front of 107,000-plus at Penn State. He hit his lone field goal attempt. In state college, he got a taste of the big time. And he liked it.

“That’s probably the coolest feeling ever, hearing them chant,” he said. “I was excited, it made me feel good.”

After a stellar freshman season at Ohio, the big time beckoned. With the prominence of the transfer portal, a kicker of Vakos’ ability was bound to be scooped up by a bigger program. Wisconsin wasn’t the first school to reach out to him, but their pitch resonated the most.

“I knew Max Stienecker and Luke Fickell out of high school since I was offered (at Cincinnati) out of high school,” he said. “Max called me and he was like, ‘Wanna talk to coach Fickell real quick?’”

When Vakos graduated high school in the class of 2022, Fickell and Cincinnati were looking for an experienced, established kicker for the Bearcats. They didn’t take him.

“I know I didn’t pick you up the first time,” Fickell told him over the phone. “I need you here. We’d love to have you, you’re gonna make big plays for us in the future.”

Through nearly half a season, Vakos has done just that. He hit his first eight field goals before pushing a 53-yarder just left against Rutgers. He’s stabilized the place-kicker position for the Badgers, which had been in flux ever since Vito Calvaruso, who transferred to Wisconsin last season, failed to hold down the job in 2022.

Besides the much larger crowd, Vakos hasn’t noticed much of a difference between kicking in the Group of Five and kicking for a premier Big Ten team. He believes his snapper and holder are slightly better at this level, but maintains that the timing and mechanics are the same. Kicking in Camp Randall, though, is a different story.

“It’s the hardest stadium to kick in. It’s the hardest stadium I’ve ever kicked in,” he said bluntly. “Took me a while to get used to. We have a big crown on the field, that’s probably the biggest thing, which a lot of kickers have to deal with. Going uphill on one side, downhill on the other. It’s a little slanted. Obviously the wind’s a big factor. You got the tunnel coming in, the wind coming in through the sides. It’s kind of swirling, and it affects you. It affected me last game.”

Indeed, Vakos missed his long attempt against Rutgers, but it’s worth noting that distance wasn’t the issue. He simply pushed it left.

“Really, I feel comfortable anywhere from 55 and in,” he told BadgerBlitz.com. “I feel like it’s gonna get there no matter what. And then, it’s just up to me if I make it or not.”

Therein lies the crucial yet underrated element Vakos, who says he’s hit from 65 yards out on a tee, gives the Badgers. Last season, Wisconsin attempted one kick from 50-plus yards out. Calvaruso missed it. Even though Vakos is now 0-for-1 on 50-plus yarders, he knows he can hit them, as does the staff. With Vakos, the Badgers are a threat to score from a greater portion of the field.

Vakos’ booming leg begs the question of why he’s not also doing kickoffs for Wisconsin. It’s an especially apt question considering Jack Van Dyke, the Badgers’ current kickoff specialist, has sent four kicks out of bounds for penalties and is struggling in that department.

Vakos didn’t do any kickoffs at Ohio, but has done a few in Madison. He had one kickoff against Washington State, and two against Georgia Southern. According to him, 93 percent of his kickoffs went for touchbacks in high school.

“They kinda want me to focus on field goals solely, save my leg for that,” he said. “I’ve rotated a couple times off injuries, I’ve been in three or four. So I’m feasible when it’s needed.”

As the Badgers eye the stretch run of Big Ten play, they’ll need Vakos more than ever. He hasn’t kicked a true, game-deciding field goal yet. But in games that almost promise to be defensive slugfests, like, say, Iowa on Saturday, the likelihood Wisconsin will need Vakos to deliver in a high-pressure situation increases greatly. The kicker awaits that opportunity with the mindset of a shutdown closer in baseball.

“You gotta have a lot of confidence and a little cockiness,” he said. “I’m going in there knowing I’m gonna make it. I’m thinking I’m gonna make it. I’m thinking what am I gonna do with my guys after I make it. It’s never like, ‘Oh god, am I gonna make this?’... I’m going in there confident, ready to celebrate with my teammates after I make it, and if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen, on to the next one.”

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