Injury creates opportunity for Wisconsin kickers Jack Van Dyke and Nate Van Zelst, but each must overcome obstacles

Mark Stewart
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MADISON – Jack Van Dyke and Nate Van Zelst can’t ask for much more than what they’ll have Saturday.

They'll get to play.

The Wisconsin kickers are set to handle the kickoff and place-kicking duties, respectively, when the Badgers open the season at 6 p.m. Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium against Illinois State.

The game marks a fresh start for Van Dyke, a junior from Neenah High School who was hampered by injury last season. It will be the first start for Van Zelst, a walk-on from Loyola Academy in Chicago.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to get work with the ones, but I just have that one-kick-at-at-time mentality,” Van Zelst said. “I’m not too worried about the future or game day. Just worried about that next kick.”

The two are quality options, but each has benefited from an injury to Arkansas transfer Vito Calvaruso that sidelined the junior for most of fall camp. Calvaruso came to UW as a strong candidate to fill both kicking roles.

Now Van Dyke and Van Zelst have a chance to make a statement in a game, though each player must clear a hurdle in order to perform well.

Van Zelst must overcome his inexperience. Van Dyke has been working to regain trust in his leg after off-season surgery.

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Wisconsin kicker Jack Van Dyke watches Collin Larsh kick a field goal during practice last season. Van Dyke handled kickoff duties for most of last season while Larsh, who has graduated, handled place-kicking.

Van Dyke kicking without pain

That said, Van Dyke is in a much better spot than last season when he shared kickoff duties with now graduated Collin Larsh. It was a painful experience.

Van Dyke's problem started shortly after his freshman season. He was working out at home when he felt a pop in his leg. He said he tore his groin and a part of his abdomen, which necessitated the surgery he had in the offseason.

Before that, he managed the pain with ibuprofen and gutted through the discomfort on game days. He kicked off 43 times last season. Each time he felt it.

“It really held me back mentally from being able to kick off,” he said. “It was definitely a struggle each game.”

The injury made it difficult for Van Dyke to build on a solid freshman season. 

His freshman year his percentage of touchbacks was 47% (16 of 34) and his average yards per kickoff was 60.9. Last season he had 19 touchbacks in 43 kickoffs (44%) and averaged 61.3 yards.

Van Dyke went from kicking in constant pain last year to doing so pain-free during camp. With Van Dyke also a backup punter, the training staff and coaches have been limiting the amount of work he gives his leg.

His goal this season is for 65-70% of his kickoffs to be touchbacks.

“It’s a huge difference," he said. "I feel really healthy. I’m still getting over the mental hump of really letting my leg go, because it’s a precautionary thing, but I feel great and I haven’t had any pain since the surgery, so I feel a lot better than last season."

Wisconsin kickers Collin Larsh (19) and Nate Van Zelst walk off the field at practice Friday, August 13, 2021, at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.

Van Zelst has big shoes to fill

Van Zelst says his field goal range is up to 50 yards and that during the spring he hit about 80% of his attempts. During fall camp he said he didn’t pay as much attention to his success rate.

“I try not to get too caught up in the numbers in the middle of camp because sometimes that can cause you to think too much,” he said.

Larsh left a high standard to follow. Larsh hit 17 of 22 (77.2%) field goal attempts last season, hitting 3 of 4 from 40-49 yards. His long was 48.

And Van Dyke and Van Zelst will have the challenge of competing with Calvaruso when he returns. His goal in coming to Wisconsin was to handle the place-kicking and kickoff duties. He was proficient at both at Arkansas, recording a 78.7% (96 of 122) success rate for touchbacks and just missing out on winning the place-kicking job last season.

“You’re always going to have to compete with people,” Van Dyke said. “Vito and I are great friends. We both have big legs and we’ve worked together a lot when he’s been healthy. It’s just part of life. It’s a job. When he’s healthy we’ll definitely have a good battle for it. Whoever wins will be deserving of the spot.”