Key Wisconsin Badgers: No. 30 - Kicker Collin Larsh

Wisconsin's 2021 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 in to our staff rankings.

Following a pair of average seasons, redshirt senior Collin Larsh once again returns as the only kicker on the team with much experience. Larsh will be entering fall camp in a competition with second-year player Jack Van Dyke, who served as the kickoff specialist last season.

"It is a battle right now, a true competition," special teams coordinator Chris Haering told reporters back in April during spring camp. "Collin obviously has the game experience when it comes to field goals and PATs, but Jack's done a really good job in the offseason and going through this first part of spring practice. I see this competition continuing as we go into fall camp."

Larsh's edge comes through in his experience, as the Wisconsin native has been the primary kicker for the Badgers the past two seasons. Larsh has been nearly perfect on extra points, converting on 76 of his 77 attempts, and his success from short range translates to field goals. The walk-on from Monona Grove High School is a perfect 10-of-10 from within 29 yards over the past two years.

Larsh, 5-foot-10 and 188 pounds, has proven to be reliable from short range, but his issues from deep have remained. In the 2019 season, he was 5-for-11 on field goals further than 30 yards, even losing kicking duties in big games against Minnesota and Ohio State. His lone pair of misses in the 2020 season came from 47 and 46 yards out.

Larsh has been working with former NFL kicker John Carney in the offseason. Larsh reached out to Carney, who shared a program with him to increase his leg strength. He has added different power lifts, flexibility and swing patterns to his routine, along with the work he is doing at UW.

In a ranking of most important players, it's tough to place a kicker higher than 30, but Larsh's inclusion is necessary as the lone place kicker with experience. Paul Chryst and the staff are counting on Larsh to extend his range in order to give the offense more wiggle room.

If Larsh is able to hold on to kicking duties this fall, his improvement should provide Graham Mertz and the offense more room for error. As opposed to recent years, Haering would prefer to stay away from having a designated kicker for longer kicks.

"In the end, you'd like to settle on the guy and he can handle all types of kicks," Haering said.