Wisconsin's 2022 football season is right around the corner, so BadgerBlitz.com ranked the top 30 players who we think will be the keys to success for Paul Chryst's squad this year.

Playing time, past performance and positional depth all factored into our staff rankings.

With the graduation of starter Collin Larsh, placekicking duties were left wide open during spring camp. But Wisconsin added a key piece in transfer Vito Calvaruso, who made the move from Arkansas. The third-year junior has his sights set on handling both kickoffs and field goals, and he has a powerful leg for both jobs.

"I made out a checklist of certain things I wanted to hit for every school, and really what was important to me. And at the top of that, I wanted to go to a place that if I do what I'm supposed to do, I am going to be the field goal kicker," Calvaurso said of what he was looking for while in the transfer portal.

While at Arkansas, the 6-foot, 200-pound specialist primarily handled kickoffs. Of his 48 attempts, 33 were launched for touchbacks, earning himself a kickoff grade of 79.3 from Pro Football Focus. For comparison, Jack Van Dyke, who handled kickoffs for Wisconsin in 2021, notched a touchback 19 times in 45 attempts.

Calvaruso has already showcased a big leg during the spring. Of his 15 attempted kicks during camp, according to Calvaruso, he missed just two, and BadgerBlitz.com observed a field goal that was good from 54 yards out and a 47-yard field goal that cleared easily. When speaking with reporters, Calvaruso noted that he had built up his strength at Arkansas, eventually hitting a field goal from 70 yards out as his best.

The same can be said for the rest of the specialists vying to kick field goals for Wisconsin, but Calvaruso has yet to prove he can do that specific job at the collegiate level. His reps during spring practices were cut short as he had to deal with a right quad pull, which sidelined him for two weeks.

If Calvaruso wins out during fall camp, he will have to find the happy medium for what he called "two different swings."

"It's difficult. It's two entirely different swings for me. Just two different swings and you have to master both," he said. "Kickoff, you put your toe down and rotate the hip over to get more of the quad over, and field goal you're trying to be more finesse with it. It's just kind of finding that happy medium for me."

Finding that happy medium will have to come without the benefit of a primary special teams coach. Calvaruso mentioned assistant Taylor Mehlhaff, a former kicker at Wisconsin, has been coaching the kickers but is not an on-the-field coach.

"A lot of it is us as a group because we're really the guys that know the most about what we do," Calvaruso said. "On the field, Coach (Chris) Haering gives us tips here and there, but on the field it's mostly us when it comes to technique."

With Andy Vujnovich handling punts, Calvaruso should be able to turn special teams coverage into a major strength for Wisconsin. That unit as a whole has been consistently inconsistent in the past but should be aided this season by a pair of big legs. If Calvaruso manages to take field goal duties, he should be able to add some room for the offense to work by knocking in some deeper field goals.

Calvaruso missing time in the spring left the battle at kicker with Nate Van Zelst still to be determined. One of the competitions to follow when fall camp rolls around will be who ultimately handles that duty for Wisconsin. At a minimum, Calvaruso should be a weapon for Wisconsin when it comes to kickoff return defense.

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