UW walk-on Collin Larsh preparing to handle field goals if called upon in 2018
MADISON – Wisconsin’s Collin Larsh is a realistic dreamer.
The redshirt freshman from Monona Grove High School understands senior Rafael Gaglianone is UW’s No. 1 kicker.
He understands Gaglianone, out for more than a week because of back/leg problems, is rehabbing with the intent of being ready to kick in the Aug. 31 opener against Western Kentucky.
Yet Larsh, a walk-on who imagined for years what it would be like to kick for UW, is determined to be ready to fill in just in case Gaglianone’s comeback goes awry.
“A kid from Wisconsin…this has always been a dream for me,” Larsh said after practice on Wednesday. “I always told myself to just be ready. I’m confident I can do the job.”
Larsh opened camp working with the No. 2 unit, ahead of redshirt junior Zach Hintze and behind Gaglianone.
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Once Gaglianone was sidelined, Larsh moved up to the No. 1 unit and has kept that spot.
He has endured some rough spots in camp but made 4 of 4 field-goal attempts on the grass field on Tuesday and followed that up with another perfect performance Wednesday inside Camp Randall Stadium.
Larsh was good from 31 yards on the right hash, then hit kicks of 37 and 43 yards from the left hash and closed the segment by drilling a 50-yarder from near the right hash.
“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity, kind of following Raf’s footsteps,” Larsh said. “He has been teaching me since the day I got here, how to handle every situation.
“I am feeling more comfortable with the operation.”
Gaglianone has made 23 of his last 26 attempts, including 16 of 18 last season. He made 7 of 8 attempts in 2016 before a back injury ended his season.
Although UW officials believe Gaglianone’s current back problems aren’t as serious as those he suffered through before undergoing season-ending surgery in '16, the staff has to make sure it has reliable replacements ready.
Larsh was more accurate early in camp than Hintze, who has the stronger leg.
However, Larsh noted Wednesday he hit a 57-yarder during a camp competition at UW while he was in high school. He estimates he is comfortable kicking from up to 55 yards now.
“My confidence level has gone way up,” he said. “Back at Monona Grove, I played all three ways so I couldn’t just focus on kicking.
“Now I can just dial in and master my craft. Here if I hit a bad ball, right away I know exactly what (happened) and I know how to fix it. And we have it on film so you can go back and watch it.
“Being able to go back and look at those bad kicks and see exactly what went wrong…and then fix that. If I come out here and miss it is a bad day. I shouldn’t miss.”
Larsh remembers the first kick he attempted in practice at UW.
“Jack Cichy walks up behind me and dumps a whole water behind me,” Larsh said. “Raf came up and said: ‘You’ve just got to be able to tune it out.’ "
Larsh missed the first kick but recovered to make the second.
Gaglianone was rehabbing his injury during practice Wednesday but has been observing the kickers for most of camp.
“During warm-ups and stuff he is there, right behind me on every kick,” Larsh said. “He has so much experience here. He has had all the big kicks and knows how to handle everything.
“He has taught me how to handle every situation, the pressure.”