For those who want any indication of how important this season is for Nick Saban at Alabama, there is a competition happening for the starting job at punter. He named Mac Jones as the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback and the majority of positions have been filled by talented players, but the program has three individuals battling to win a specialist role in the kicking game.
Ty Perine, a native of Prattville, Ala., brought fans to their feet last year as a walk-on.
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The freshman took over the punting duties versus Tennessee and played in six games.
He averaged 44.7 yards per punt on 13 attempts, while driving three boots in excess of 50 yards.
Perine dropped two kicks inside the 20-yard line against Arkansas and Mississippi State, and totaled 581 punting yards. He earned Freshman All-SEC Team honors via the league’s coaches for his efforts. Along with Perine, the Tide has Charlie Scott and Sam Johnson.
Scott, the younger brother of former Alabama standout JK Scott, transferred in from Air Force.
He had a really strong camp and like his brother, Scott has the capability to effectively flip the field. As for Johnson, the alumnus of Oak Mountain High School also carries a strong leg.
He was the top-ranked punter in 2019 via Mike McCabe’s: One on One Kicking Camp and No. 3 according to Kohl’s Kicking Camp. At 6-foot-3, Johnson is the tallest of the three specialists.
While they are not quite on the All-American level of JK Scott, all three can get the job done.
However, Saban stated on Wednesday that only one will travel with the team to Missouri.
“We are not going to take multiple punters on the trip,” he said. “We can’t take extra specialists. We are going to evaluate everyone over the course of the week. We have three guys that are very competitive at that position. We’re probably make the decision tomorrow, but we are not taking multiple punters.”
With this being said, one has to feel that Perine is the guy. He has seen action versus Southeastern Conference teams and brings experience under his belt. No matter which one makes the trip, Alabama wants to start its season making a statement.
ESPN will air the matchup between the Tide and Tigers at 6:00 p.m.
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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.
