Unless one carries the mentality of Leigh Tiffin or Jeremy Shelley, kickers in the Nick Saban regime at Alabama have struggled with being clutch in pressure situations.
In high school, there isn’t a ton of pressure on them.
Defensive linemen do not rush them, coaches do not rattle their confidence and things come easy. However, when a kicker signs his letter of intent to the Crimson Tide, the scene from the movie Space Jams — where the Monstars drain NBA athletes of their powers – becomes real.
Adam Griffith and Andy Pappanastos were not dreadful, but the two had more cringeworthy moments than jubilant ones. While special teams coach Jeff Banks was the one behind Alabama getting Austin Jones (transfer), a redshirt freshman made some noise in the first scrimmage.
Joseph Bulovas, a native of Mandeville, La., was a highly rated kicker (No. 1 per Rivals) upon his arrival to Tuscaloosa in 2017. Issues with his accuracy forced him redshirt last season, but it seems as though he’s corrected his technique.
One of the positive things from Saban during his presser on Saturday was the performance of the three-star athlete in rough weather conditions.
Bulovas made four of five field goals.
“They weren’t chip shots,” Saban said.
“I think only one of those was inside the 20-yard line. The rest of them were 35-45 yarders, so that was encouraging. On the kickoffs, he had a couple of good kickoffs and when he was kicking into the wind… maybe not as good. So, there is things to improve on.”
Bulovas was a marquee player in the 2017 U.S. Army All-American Bowl, as he accounted for nine of the East’s 27 points in its 27-17 win over West. Going back to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in January, Pappanastos missed a 36-yard kick from the middle of the field that would’ve been a game-winning attempt versus University of Georgia.
With the offensive firepower returning, the hope for Alabama is to not be overly depended on Bulovas’ legs. Seeing a high percentage of kicks made in spring is a good sign, but Tide fans want to be assured that the woes are over.
Bulovas must continue to build on what he’s doing.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
