The Wisconsin Badgers continue to work magic in the transfer portal.  They are up to nine total commitments for the 2023 class from the transfer portal alone.  This time the Badgers addressed special teams as they landed a 2022 All-American kicker.  Nathanial Vakos, a former five-star recruit and transfer from Ohio University, has committed to the Wisconsin Badgers.

All-American Kicker Nathanial Vakos Commits To The Badgers

Nothing quite like Madison… COMMITTED #OnWisconsin @CoachFick @CoachHitsch @_maximus347 pic.twitter.com/edUFhacUBI

— Nathanial Vakos (@nathanial_vakos) January 10, 2023

Vakos, an Ohio native, becomes the first major special-teams addition for the Badgers in 2023.  He is coming off a season where he made 22/27 field goals, including a 56-yarder in Ohio’s bowl game to send the game to overtime.  Here is a video of the kick:

THE KICK IS GOOD

We’re going to overtime in the #BarstoolAZBowl! pic.twitter.com/eZ7Rj9eRxw

— The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl By Gin & Juice (@theARIZONABOWL) December 31, 2022

In 2022 the Badgers faced issues with reliability at the kicker position.  Their original kicker, Vito Calvaruso, suffered an injury early in the season.  This forced freshman Nate Van Zelst into action.  Zelst did hit 11/14 of his field goals on the season.  However, he missed three field goals inside the 40-yard line and didn’t attempt a single kick over 50+ yards.  Vakos will bring a different level to the kicking game that the Badgers haven’t seen in recent years.   In 2022, Vakos made a 55 and 56-yard field goal, something the Badgers would have never attempted in 2022.

In total last year Vakos was 2-of-4 from 50-plus yards and 3-of-5 from 40-49 yards. He also cashed in on 49 of his 50 extra point attempts. The Ohio Bobcats finished 10-4 on the season.  The Badgers reportedly beat out Cincinnati for Vakos, who entered the transfer portal on Jan. 2.