Alabama fans knew it had a kicker when Will Reichard chose to sign with the Crimson Tide in February via Hoover (Ala.) High School.
He was a three-star prospect per Touchdown Alabama Magazine; however, Reichard had a five-star leg.
According to the coordinators at the some of the elite kicking camps, he was the best they have ever seen coming from the high school ranks.
Reichard was having success at Alabama, until the fourth game of the year.
Nick Saban and the Tide hosted Southern Mississippi at Bryant-Denny Stadium and after his second made extra point, Reichard proceeded to execute the ensuing kickoff. His foot struck the football and kicking tee, which aggravated his hip.
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Joseph Bulovas, a redshirt sophomore, filled in for Reichard versus the Golden Eagles and has served as a kicker and kickoff specialist in his absence.
Regardless of people closing their eyes when he called upon, Bulovas has been solid nonetheless. He has missed just one extra point in 30 attempts and has made five of seven field goals.
The three-star from Louisiana drilled a pair of 30-plus yard kicks against Arkansas and from Saban, he’s encouraged by Bulovas’ efforts.
“Joe probably kicked as well in this last game, when you look at the whole body of work,” Saban said. “He hit the ball well… Got it up quickly on extra points, field goals… He kicked off with good direction and did what we asked him to do in that regard, so we hope his confidence will continue to improve.”
After discussing Bulovas, Saban dove into Reichard on Wednesday.
He wants to do more in practice and he wants to kick in the games, the coaching staff looks at Reichard’s injury as ‘very frustrating’ for everyone involved.
“We had two to three weeks where we thought he was ready to come back and then he had a setback, so we are going to be very cautious of how we bring him back this time,” Saban said.
Although fans are happy about Bulovas’ progress, Reichard is the future of Alabama football at the position. Hopefully, the medical staff can get him back to full strength soon.
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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.
