Alabama has had competition all over it’s roster throughout fall camp and special teams have been no different.
The Crimson Tide are specifically evaluating its punting group this fall with a number of candidates which includes the Australia born James Burnip. Head coach Nick Saban has had a few good things to say about Burnip and his progression this fall along with his unique athletic background.
During his post practice press conference on Wednesday, Saban was asked about the variety of kicks Burnip could possibly bring to Alabama this upcoming season, and the head coach decided to have a bit of fun and crack a joke.
“Well, we basically have him going over with the rugby team every day so he can play rugby and feel more comfortable doing that since we’re so worried about him playing football,” Saban joked. “He’s doing really well with the rugby part of it, so we will see how that goes.”
It turns out that Alabama doesn’t offer rugby as a sport but it’s called improvising for a reason.
“He has made a lot of improvement and a lot of progress in terms of feeling comfortable,” Saban said. “He does have a variety of ways he can punt the ball, and he’s pretty effective at it.”
Saban had previously addressed concerns over Burnip’s ability to pick up the game of football, but the seven time national champion has a different outlook on the situation.
“He has punted a football before, alright,” Saban said after last week’s scrimmage. “So he didn’t come from the rugby field, from the rugby ball to the football. He’s been punting footballs for quite a long time. And really, we’re not asking him to play football. We’re asking him to punt it.”
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
