One-on-one interview with Wisconsin Badgers kicker Nathanial Vakos

One-on-one interview with Wisconsin Badgers kicker Nathanial Vakos

The Wisconsin Badgers football team will begin their regular season at Camp Randall Stadium against Western Michigan on Aug. 30. That date is moving closer and closer, as the team wrapped up its fall camp at UW-Platteville on Sunday.

Junior Nathanial Vakos is entering his second season as the team’s primary placekicker after he went 15-for-19 on field-goal attempts last season, going 14-15 from inside 50 yards. Additionally, he was a perfect 34-for-34 on extra-point tries.

Vakos took a few minutes to chat with us following the Badgers’ eighth practice at UW-Platteville, detailing how he’s geared up to make deep kicks in 2024.

“Something I’ve felt always confident in is my ability to make deep kicks. I’ve always been confident, it’s just been working those more. I feel like we’ve started to repitize more deep field goals, which is what I’ve been wanting to work on,” Vakos explained.

Vakos transferred to Wisconsin from Ohio prior to the 2023 campaign and the Badgers went 7-6 in his first year with the team. The kicker feels like this season will be even better.

“Coming into this year, I think we have a lot more talent. We picked up a lot of good transfers,” Vakos continued, “From last year they really tightened down on us, wanting more, always trying to push us more.”

The upcoming season is the team’s second under head coach Luke Fickell and the fans will be treated to a schedule full of marquee matchups with programs like Alabama, USC, Penn State and Oregon.

WATCH: Wisconsin football begins 2024 training camp at UW-Platteville

WATCH: Wisconsin football begins 2024 training camp at UW-Platteville

Training camp in preparation for the 2024 football season is officially underway for the Wisconsin Badgers.

The team is again starting its preseason session nearby on UW-Platteville’s campus before returning to the Madison facilities on Aug. 12. The Badgers have 31 days during this fall period before they kick off their 2024 season at home against Western Michigan.

Related: Position battles to follow as Wisconsin Badgers begin 2024 fall training camp

Wisconsin’s social media team is there through it all. The documented portions of the day’s activity thus far have included a 6:30 a.m. wakeup call, players all arriving at the facility and the start of the team’s warmup routine.

The start of training camp is always a significant time in the college football calendar. It means the start of August, the final days of summer and the start of the true countdown before the season kicks off.

Tuesday’s start to training camp begins the countdown at 31 days.

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Preseason Previews

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Wisconsin Position Previews: Quarterback — Running Back — Wide Receiver