Drew Meyer plays a position the Wisconsin football team would rather not have on the field.

The redshirt freshman is a punter – and based off his statistics through five games – a pretty darn good one, too.

“It’s kind of funny,” Meyer said. “Family and friends are always like, ‘it’s fun seeing you out there,’ but you know the less we’re out there the better the team’s doing. It’s one of those things where it’s definitely fun to get out there and contribute, but the less we’re out there, obviously the better we’re doing. That’s fun too, just sitting on the bench and watching the offense do their thing.”

Unfortunately for Meyer, the offense hasn’t been doing its “thing” as much as he, the team and fans have hoped. And that’s where Meyer comes in.

So far, through five games in 2012, Meyer has already punted 31 times. For comparison, Brad Nortman punted only 46 times through 14 games last season. But Meyer is picking up right where the talented Nortman left off – averaging 42.8 yards per punt with a net average of 40.6 yards per punt. The net average makes Wisconsin’s punt unit the best in the Big Ten.

“We just put in a lot of hard work, it’s the rest of the punt team too,” Meyer said. “James McGuire has been throwing me some great snaps. The guys have been protecting me well, getting down and coveraging well … the whole unit has been doing their job, and everyone’s been stepping up to help me out too, being a first year starter.”

While Wisconsin has never been heralded for its punt units, it has had a recent history of successful punters – a tradition Meyer is already starting to continue.

Before Meyer was given the nod this season, he backed up Nortman for a season. At the time, it was Nortman’s fourth season as the starting punter for the Badgers, which was highlighted by successful fake punts and, most notably, an Academy Award-worthy performance in the final seconds of the inaugural Big Ten Championship game, sending UW to its second straight Rose Bowl.

According to co-defensive coordinator Charlie Partridge, who also coaches the kickers and punters, the time Meyer spent behind Nortman was the perfect way for Meyer to get used to the college level.

“I think he learned a lot from Brad just in his mental approach,” Partridge said. “You can’t over think things; you can’t get too emotionally wrapped up or you’re going to have problems. He’s done a good job learning from Brad in that way. Then it was just a matter of cleaning up some fundamental things.”

And the similarities are hard to ignore.

Beyond their similar statistics – Nortman averaged 42.2 yards per punt last season – Meyer drew a roughing the kicker call against Nebraska that was eerily similar to Nortman’s flop in the Big Ten Championship game.

“It was one of those where he pretty much ran into me, I didn’t have to do much acting with that, so I was kind of lucky,” Meyer said. “I threw the arms back a little bit at the end, the timing was a little off. I’ve got to work on that for next time.

“We joked around a bit. [Nortman] sent me a text after the game saying ‘at least you learned something.'”

But the Hartland, Wis., native has already established a consistency indicative of a much more mature player. That consistency is all part of the mental game that is punting.

“Oh, it’s almost all mental,” Meyer said. “Its one of those things where you train for however many years … I’ve kicked the ball 1,000 times before so it’s all between the ears. It’s making sure you’re staying focused, trusting what you’ve practiced – everything you’ve done over time – and just getting back to the basics.”

The patience and the mental stability needed in punting are similar to that of golf, according to Partridge. One bad punt or one mental slip can lead to even more bad punts and mental issues.

Keeping the 6-foot-2, 179-pound punter calm and collected is a balancing act, according to Partridge.

“You find the right time to pop a joke in the midst of the sideline mayhem,” Partridge said. “At the same time, you try to find a way to make sure he’s focused enough. You just try to keep a balance of making him laugh, but bringing him back into staying serious.”

But the mental game Meyer plays on a weekly basis is nothing new – he’s been playing it since he was in the fifth grade.

Growing up in Hartland, Meyer started playing football in the Arrowhead High School system, one of Wisconsin’s traditional football powerhouses, and had a soccer background, so kicking was a simple position for him to fill.

“Football was always my first love, so as soon as football started – it was football from there on out,” Meyer said.

“I was just one of those kids who could do it because I always played soccer in the past, it was just an easy transition.”

Growing up so close to the University of Wisconsin, Meyer dreamed of playing in Camp Randall, always relishing his trips to Madison on game day. Now he can call himself a team MVP and one of the best punters in the Big Ten.

“It means a lot, especially being in this position for the first time,” Meyer said of starting in general. “It feels good to be able to help contribute the way that I’ve been blessed to so far, but the season’s not over.”