Field goals and extra points were automatic with players such as Leigh Tiffin and Jeremy Shelley, but it looks like Nick Saban has finally fixed the problem at Alabama.
After going through a drought of inconsistency in the kicking game, he offered a scholarship to someone of whom Chris Sailer (who has known Saban for years) dubbed the “best kicker he’d ever seen from the high school ranks.”
Adam Griffith, Cade Foster, Joseph Bulovas, Andy Pappanastos and Austin Johnson were good out of high school; however, none of these were co-signed by someone major in the field.
Now, let’s insert Will Reichard into the picture.
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Not only did he come highly recommended by Sailer, but the three-star was also the top-rated combination of kicker/punter via the Kohl’s Kicking Competition for 2019.
He told Justin Smith of Touchdown Alabama Magazine (lead recruiting analyst) that he “is the one to fix the kicking woes for the Crimson Tide.”
It was this confidence and consistent performance in the offseason that won him the starting job.
Despite missing two 40+ yard attempts in week one against Duke, Reichard fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium texting happy emojis and cheering loudly as he drilled a 48-yard and 49-yard field goal over the weekend.
Both tries against New Mexico State would have been perfect from 50+ yards.
A native of Hoover, Ala., Reichard made all eight of his extra points – which totaled 14 of Alabama’s 62 points (23 percent) in the 62-3 win over the Aggies. He also provided the opponent with only one kickoff to return on 10 attempts, totaling nine touchbacks.
Saban talked all summer about how Reichard made the competition better among the specialist.
He decided to go with the freshman, seeing as how he has the confidence to make every kick he tries.
While he entered the program with a strong sense of his abilities, marquee players on offense are starting to see how special he is.
According to Tua Tagovailoa and Henry Ruggs III, both told reporters after the game that it “feels good” to trust Reichard on field goals.
“He is really special,” Ruggs said of the freshman kicker. “We have a lot of confidence in him. I was telling everybody on the sideline ‘we know it’s good, that guy is special.’ I mean, he’s got a foot on him. We are all behind him and Coach Saban has him on the field for a reason.”
Ruggs accounted for two touchdowns – including a 39-yard score from Tagovailoa, of whom produced four scores. The junior quarterback was Reichard primary holder throughout the matchup versus the Aggies.
“I do not want to bash any of the other kickers we have had, but it’s really good to know that we have someone we can trust to go out there and we don’t have to go four downs,” Tagovailoa said of Reichard. “Having the trust with Will being able to kick the ball and knowing how accurate he is, it helps us.”
From coaches to players, Reichard has won everyone over.
It took two years for Tiffin (2006-09) to become great and Shelley was Alabama’s short distance kicker in 2011; the year it won a BCS National Championship. Reichard appears to be getting through the learning curve faster than those two and this is a great thing for Tide fans to see.
He and his big-time leg will face South Carolina next week.
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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.
