Heading into the 2026 season, Wisconsin football 's roster appeared better resourced and significantly reinforced after the dismal 4-8 campaign a year ago.
Still, a handful of questions remained heading into the critical year. Will the Badgers get enough pass-rush from their outside linebackers? How will several new pieces along the offensive line perform in new positions? Both the offense and the defense had questions to answer, questions we're still learning the answers to two weeks into the season.
Inexplicably, special teams went largely ignored. I had my concerns about Wisconsin's special teams leading up to the season , particularly place-kicker Gavin Lahm . It wasn't something I'd seen from Lahm that made me nervous; it was what I hadn't seen.
The 5th-year senior had never attempted a collegiate field goal or extra point in his life prior to the Notre Dame game. He'd been Wisconsin's kickoff specialist, but he'd never put a ball through the uprights at the college level prior to the 2026 season.
Through two weeks, he's drilled all five of his field goals, including a 49-yarder and a 50-yarder against Western Illinois. Seven of his 12 kickoffs have resulted in touchbacks.
"Gavin is a weapon, and he had a great night," Fickell said after Week 2 . "I thought the best thing Gavin did, he didn't rush things, I didn't think he tried to overswing."
Lahm did miss an extra point in Week 2, but Fickell absolved him of the blame after the game, saying that there was a problem with the snap and the operation on that kick.
It's not just Lahm, though. Badgers' punter Sean West has also been tremendous through two weeks, and in the opener against Notre Dame he connected on one of the most beautiful punts you'll ever see , a 70-yarder that pinned the Irish on their own one yard-line.
Wisconsin has also blocked two punts over the first two games, one of which it took back for six against the Leathernecks. Special teams has already made a handful of massive, game-swinging plays for the Badgers this fall.
What's the biggest difference with Wisconsin's special teams? Finally having a full-time dedicated special teams coach is one of them. Fickell had high praise for his new special teams coach Bob Ligashesky.
Wisconsin special teams coach Bob Ligashesky. | Christian Borman.
"I think he's done a great job in particular with those guys (specialists). That's where you've seen Gavin Lahm been really consistent for us," Fickell said . "Sean West has done a great job too, continuing to develop what we saw from him in the middle of the season last year. For Sean in particular, I think coach Lig has helped him with consistency."
Ligashesky spent the past two seasons as the special teams coordinator at Minnesota , but he's held that job title or a related one for over a dozen college programs and NFL franchises. He's clearly taken Lahm and West's kicking game to another level. In doing that, he's taken an area of significant inexperience and concern for the Badgers and turned it into a legitimate strength.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wisconsin as One of Wisconsin Football's Biggest Question Marks is now a 'Weapon' for the Badgers .
