Lotti booming punts in camp after tweak
MADISON – If Anthony Lotti performs in games as well as he has so far in preseason camp, Wisconsin special teams coach Chris Haering will be beaming in 2017.
“It is a great example of a guy who had to play as a freshman and then he gets a chance to go through spring and through two weight-room cycles,” Haering said of the sophomore punter. “You can see it has worked.
“He has changed his body and you can see it in how he is punting.”
Lotti came to UW last season as the No. 8 punter in the nation according to Kohl’s high school rankings. He averaged 45.4 yards per punt, with 15 of 50 yards or more, as a senior at West Hall High School in Georgia.
Lotti averaged 37.7 yards per punt as a freshman at UW. Although he excelled at pinning opponents deep, Lotti acknowledged he wasn’t satisfied with his overall performance.
His turnaround started in the spring.
“I had a great spring,” he said. “My hang time was pretty good. I hit a few 5.0s. Last year I was struggling.”
Lotti punted 51 times as a freshman. He placed 25 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, thanks mostly to his ability to execute Aussie-style punts.
Lotti punted 18 times with the ball at midfield or in and placed 11 of those punts (61.1%) inside the 10.
He recorded just one touchback, on a 60-yarder against Minnesota.
What bugged Lotti was his inability to hit booming punts and flip the field in UW’s favor.
Lotti punted 25 times from on or inside the UW 40. He hit 11 of those punts 40 yards or less (46%).
His distance and hang time so far in camp have been impressive.
“I’ve had a great camp so far,” Lotti said. “I’ve really just perfected my craft and gotten better every day.
“I’ve been really consistent this camp. I’m really just hitting the ball well and feeling pretty confident.”
A year in a college weight room has helped as Lotti added five pounds to his 6foot frame and is at 191 pounds.
Yet Lotti credits a technical adjustment for his improvement.
“I fixed my drop,” he said. “I do a crap-ton of drop drills every day and that’s really helped.
“I started with my hand under (the ball) last year when I got here. I put my hand back on top like I did in high school. It fixed it really well, actually.”
Lotti changed his drop because of advice he received at a camp before coming to UW. The idea was to improve his hang time.
“But really, it was just making my drop inconsistent,” he said. “So I went back to putting my hand back on top.”
If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.
“I made the switch back at the beginning of this camp,” he said. “I (thought): ‘You know what, I’m going to go back to my basics.’
“I’m super consistent with all my punts. I’ve been averaging, like, 46 yards per punt. So, I’m really just having a great camp and it’s helped out confidence-wise just going back to what I know.”