New walk-on commit Gavin Meyers expects to compete for time right away

Two of the three punters on Wisconsin's 2019 roster - seniors Connor Allen and Anthony Lotti - played their final game in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.

With that, Gavin Meyers, who accepted a preferred walk-on offer from the Badgers on Wednesday, is prepared to compete for time when he arrives on campus this summer.

"They said there is no designated starter," Meyers told BadgerBlitz.com. "So I plan on competing for the job right away."

In Meyers, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound senior from Oshkosh (WI) Lourdes, UW is getting the No. 18 punter in the country, according to Kohl's Kicking. He chose Wisconsin over walk-on opportunities at Illinois, Iowa and North Dakota State, as well as a scholarship from Minnesota-Duluth.

"I reached out to Wisconsin with some film from the Blue-Grey All-American Game that I played in and the connection grew from there," Meyers said. "Wisconsin wanted to add me because they see me as a technically-sound punter who can hit many different types of punts, depending on the game situation."

Meyers, a WFCA honorable mention all-state selection in 2019, joins kicker Jack Van Dyke as specialists in Wisconsin's 2020 recruiting class. This off-season, the Badgers also added former University of Dubuque punter Andy Vujnovich as a transfer. Redshirt junior Conor Schlichting is expected to round out the group this fall.

"It feels great to have made my decision," Meyers said. "I'm excited to get to work with great people in a great program."