Alabama football split up kicking duties in the season opener, and there was good reasoning behind it.
Graham Nicholson, the reigning Lou Groza Award winner, primarily handled extra points. Meanwhile, Conor Talty took care of all kickoffs. The Crimson Tide didn’t kick any field goals in the 63-0 win over Western Kentucky.
That translated to Nicholson handling seven extra points. Talty kicked two extra points and 10 kickoffs.
“One thing that is key and kind of hidden and I’m not afraid to share it publicly: I think it’s important ... if you have the possibilities to let some of those guys rotate ... those kicks add up,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said Wednesday on his radio show. “Especially when you score 63 points. If one guy is doing all the duties of kicking off and field goals or the PATs, that’s going to be 10, close to 20 kicks in a game. That will wear on you over the course of the season.”
Talty is a redshirt freshman who worked as Will Reichard’s backup in 2023. Meanwhile, Nicholson transferred from Miami (Ohio) in the offseason. Reichard handled all kicking duties for Alabama in 2023.
Time will tell how the Crimson Tide will split duties moving forward, but it was an interesting wrinkle nonetheless in the first game.
