Remember when your mom would say to you, "If everyone was jumping off a bridge, would you do it too?" Things are like that in college sports right now. Lawsuits and legal battles are the norm right now, and college players are being cleared left and right from the 2022 class. Some have even gone and tried out for NFL teams. Like New Mexico kicker Luke Drzewiecki, who, according to a new legal battle, can head back to college and even transfer.
He's also decided where he's going to go: the Minnesota Golden Gophers. It's never good to copy the Gophers; typically, that's a terrible strategy, but in this case, Luke Fickell may want to consider it. The kicker woes have been published, and the competition for kicker in camp isn't strong. Nathanial Vakos could come back due to the same lawsuit, but Wisconsin fans are not thrilled with that option.
Fickell should be scanning this 2022 class and seeing who's out there, and since it's a kicker position, the bar to come in to Week 1 fully ready is lower. Fickell needs one more kicker on the roster, and the 2022 class may give him exactly that.
New Mexico kicker Luke Drzewiecki has signed with Minnesota, @On3 has learned.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) August 21, 2026
All-conference selection. https://t.co/wMrfFrcNOy https://t.co/egQT5sWaXS
The problem at kicker for Wisconsin that Luke Fickell will need to fix
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The Badgers have essentially two placekickers on the roster: Gavin Lahm and true freshman Brady Melum. Lahm has been a bit of a rollercoaster at fall camp, according to reports. He intentionally redshirted last season to be the main kicker this year, and yet he may not have the juice. He was the backup to Vakos last season, which presents a problem already. Right?
He also has no competition pushing him. Melum is a true freshman with a strong leg, but he isn't scaring Lahm right now. The Badgers need someone to shake up that room and make Lahm feel the heat or even lose the gig entirely if he can't earn it in competition.
There are a few kickers out there who have jumped into lawsuits to get an extra year of eligibility. Not sure how each will play out, but they are out there. And Fickell would be silly not to consider bringing in one, if at all possible.
Ethan Sanchez from the Houston Cougars is the first name that jumps off the board. He was a Lou Groza finalist last year and participated in the San Francisco 49ers mini-camp. There's also Jayden Fielding, the kicker for Ohio State, who is hoping the lawsuit will give him another year and the ability to transfer.
There's options out there, especially if the Tenth Circuit fully approves the Colorado lawsuit that's sending all the 2022 players to lawyers.
Either way, Fickell needs to add some juice and competition to the kicker; this year is too pivotal to go with a guy who is reportedly 50/50 in accuracy from behind 40 yards. The Badgers will need all those points. A team like Wisconsin, which is rebuilding, can steal games with a good kicker. Even if it means Wisconsin doing what Minnesota just did.
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