Wisconsin punter Andy Vujnovich to play in the 2023 Hula Bowl
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With just one game remaining in the 2022 college football season, players are hoping to finish the regular season strong and prepare for what comes next.
For Wisconsin punter Andy Vujnovich, he will play in his final game at Camp Randall Stadium with the Badgers on Saturday against Minnesota.
One of 15 players set to be honored on Senior Day, Vujnovich has established himself as one of the top punters in the country, given his physical abilities. As a result, the senior from Columbus (Wis.) will potentially have a chance to play professionally after the season.
In preparation for the next level, Vujnovich accepted an invitation to showcase his abilities at the 2023 Hula Bowl, a college football all-star game set in Orlando, Florida.
Originally started in 1947, The Hula Bowl is one of several postseason bowl games players from across the country can participate in to showcase their abilities in front of NFL talent evaluators.
Traditionally played in Hawaii, the bowl game was recently relocated to Orlando due to necessary repairs at Aloha Stadium, but there have been plenty of former Wisconsin players in the game.
Some notable alumni from Wisconsin include John Stocco, Brandon Williams, Owen Daniels, Scott Starks, Donovan Raiola, Wendell Bryant, Mike Echols, and Casey Rabach, among others.
For Vujnovich, the opportunity to play in the game will mean additional attention as part of the pre-draft process. The senior punter is one of the more physically impressive punters in the country at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, and he possesses the leg strength necessary to play at the next level.
Vujnovich is currently averaging 43.65 yards per punt this season, including 15 greater than 50 yards and 18 punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
For his career, Vujnovich is the program's career leader for punting average, and he set the single-season record at Wisconsin with a 46.4-yard average in 2021.
Vujnovich originally began his college career at the University of Dubuque (DIII) before joining the Badgers for the 2020 season. A three-year starter at Wisconsin since transferring, Vujnovich gained notoriety as a two-time member of Bruce Feldman’s annual College Football ‘Freaks’ list for his impressive work in the weight room.
In the off-season All Badgers spoke with punting expert Aaron Perez who Vujnovich trains with, and Perez had this to say about the senior from Wisconsin:
"He has figured out how to maximize all that force and mass, but he is a very technical punter. His drop is fantastic, he has a relaxed drop arm. He gets a lot under his shoulders and hips, so he gets his shoulders forward and attacks the ball. For as big of a guy he is, he is technically brilliant as well."
Vujnovich is the second senior to officially accept a postseason invitation to an all-star game. Last week, it was announced that Keeanu Benton would compete in the 2023 Senior Bowl.
The Hula Bowl will take place January 14 at 11 a.m. CST at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando. Further details are available on the Hula Bowl website.
Related links:
- Alexander Smith and Chez Mellusi will come back for the Badgers in 2023
- All signs point toward Jim Leonhard as head coach of Wisconsin
- Updated bowl projections for the Wisconsin Badgers
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