When starting Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph emphatically declared on the Big Ten Network, "We are going to score a lot of points!" Maybe he meant due to the fact that they'd have to go for two on a lot of drives. Or score a touchdown instead of settle for a field goal. The early reports out of camp have been hit or miss on place kicker Gavin Lahm.
Fans want to read, "Gavin Lahm has been automatic," not, he's about 50/50. That's not ideal. And the bigger problem for Wisconsin is not that Lahm hasn't been stellar; it's that there's no plan B. There's only one other kicker on the roster, walk-on freshman Brady Melum. It's bad enough that Luke Fickell has been trying out punter Sean West as a kicker.
What does Wisconsin do? Well, there is an obvious solution, and yet Wisconsin fans will hate it, but it may be the only other option. It may be the only Plan B, or, shoot, Plan A. That's to bring Nathanial Vakos back, who is part of a group of 2022 athletes in the midst of a lawsuit to get one more year of eligibility.
Wisconsin needs another kicker on the roster, even if it's just a Plan B
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Vakos isn't a fan favorite because of his own "hit-or-miss" nature, and so maybe Lahm is better than Vakos, but it's hard to be confident in that assessment considering what reports are coming out of camp. Fickell should have done better in the portal about adding a kicker, even just to push Lahm in competition.
When asked in January why Lahm was the only kicker on the roster, Fickell didn't seem to be thrilled with the reality either. He said, "We've got another place kicker... a guy coming out of high school." Which at that point he meant Melum. He also then rambled about maybe looking in the portal after spring to see if there were any others in there.
So, the problem is this. Lahm is the only ready kicker on the roster. He's been a bit hit-and-miss. There's no one pushing him for a spot, and if he does poorly, there's no plan B. As of currently. What does Fickell do? He may just have to pray the Tenth Circuit allows 2022 athletes to play again and either hope there was a kicker from that class in the portal, or convince himself and fans that Lahm vs. Vakos is the secret. It's not ideal. But it's the situation we are in.
To be fair to Lahm, the last couple of practices have been better on the kicking front, but that doesn't help the fact that there are already "misses" floating around in the fan brain. Fall camp should showcase a kicker without any pressure on him, making kick after kick. That hasn't been the reality.
Wisconsin will need Joseph to come through on his promise and score a lot of points, specifically touchdowns, so the kicking isn't an issue. Vakos was automatic with extra points; the problem is, Wisconsin didn't give him many opportunities.
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