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Photo courtesy of Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics.
Alabama kicker Will Reichard (16) kicks the extra point in the Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Nov. 25, 2023.
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Photos courtesy of Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics.
Alabama kicker Will Reichard (16) in the SEC Championship against Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Dec. 2.
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Photos courtesy of Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics.
Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban with Reichard (16) and his family on senior day at Bryant-Denny Stadium before a game against UT Chattanooga on Nov. 18.
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Photos courtesy of Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics.
Alabama kicker Will Reichard walks off the bus as he makes his way to Kyle Field ahead of the Crimson Tide’s game against Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, on Oct. 6.
It’s understandable if even the most ardent University of Alabama football fans missed the moment that senior placekicker Will Reichard tied the NCAA record for points scored in a career.
That’s because Reichard’s extra point to tie the record came on the heels of one of the most awe-inspiring plays in Iron Bowl history, as Alabama converted on a fourth-and-goal from the 31-yard line in the final moments to snatch victory from Auburn in shocking fashion in November.
Amidst the mayhem, Reichard tied former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds (2012-15) with 530 career points. Though that accomplishment was overshadowed, he set a new record the following week in the SEC Championship Game with his first quarter field goal. He capped off a brilliant career with nine points in that game against Georgia and eight more against Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
“It’s still hard to believe,” Reichard said of holding such a prestigious record. “It doesn’t really feel real. After my career is over, I’ll be able to appreciate it a lot more and be really excited about it.”
Reichard admits he knew he was closing in on the mark, but he put it out of his mind throughout the season. The only way one threatens a milestone like that is to play not just for a long time, but to play extremely well for a long time.
The Hoover High School graduate earned a chance to start at Alabama immediately in 2019. As a freshman, he played in five games before being hampered by injuries.
“It was super frustrating,” he said of the injury. “I grew up dreaming about playing at a big-time school and had finally won a starting job. For it to go downhill super fast, I didn’t have much of an opportunity.”
Reichard was able to overcome the injury setback and proceeded to put together brilliant campaigns each of the last four seasons, wrapping up his career as a graduate student in the 2023 season. That time on the shelf gave him a fresh perspective on things, to be certain.
Photos courtesy of Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics.
Alabama kicker Will Reichard (16) in the SEC Championship against Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Dec. 2.
“Sometimes we can get caught up in practice and not wanting to be there or not wanting to lift [weights]. But when you get injured and can’t, you appreciate the opportunity. It helps you appreciate it a lot more,” he said.
As a sophomore in 2020, Reichard was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, presented annually to the nation’s top field goal kicker. In 2022, he was named a semifinalist for the same award. Following his senior year, he certainly would have had a chance to make it in the professional ranks. But he chose to return to Alabama for one more crack at it.
“I thought I still had room to improve,” he said. “I could improve on different things on field goals and hang time on kickoffs. There’s nothing like college football. The opportunity to come back was something I couldn’t pass up.”
Following the Crimson Tide’s senior day victory over Chattanooga in November, Alabama head coach Nick Saban — who announced his retirement in January — spoke highly of his longtime kicker.
“I don’t know that anyone has had a more productive career relative to what their role is, their job is, what they’re supposed to do, in terms of his consistency, his performance, the way he’s improved through the years, mindset, his leadership and how he affects the other specialists on our team and how he’s helped them grow and develop,” Saban said. “Will’s been a great asset to the organization for a long time and has done his job about as well as anybody could expect anybody to do it.”
Another coach not surprised at all to see Reichard’s success is Josh Niblett, who coached Reichard at Hoover High. Reichard was counted as the top kicker in his class by multiple recruiting services and was selected to the Under Armour All-America Game as a senior.
“Awesome kid. Never a moment too big. I love watching him kick. He’s a competitor,” Niblett said in 2019.
At Hoover, Reichard converted 27-of-31 field goals, made all 109 of his extra point attempts and sent 99% of his kickoffs for touchback over an exemplary career. He was part of Hoover’s state championship teams in 2016 and 2017, and being part of those teams left no doubt in Niblett’s mind that he could handle the same role in Tuscaloosa.
Photos courtesy of Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics.
Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban with Reichard (16) and his family on senior day at Bryant-Denny Stadium before a game against UT Chattanooga on Nov. 18.
“He wants to be a guy that does everything because he’s a competitor. That’s what allows him to mentally to be able to kick now for Alabama. You go on the field at Alabama, there’s already some pressure from the last seven or eight years. I think he’s doing an awesome job. I think they’ve got a lot of faith and trust in him that’s going to have an unbelievable career,” Niblett said.
Reichard said his time at Hoover prepared him for Alabama, and he compared the two programs’ prestige and the pressure that comes along with that.
“We were a premier program in the state, had a lot of good players and good coaches,” he said. “We knew what the standard was, and that was to try and win state championships.”
Even then, Niblett saw the future potential in Reichard. Now that his college career is over, he will turn his attention toward the NFL.
“I do think that he’ll have an opportunity, if he continues to improve, because he’s got a strong leg, to kick at the next level,” Niblett said.
Photos courtesy of Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics.
Alabama kicker Will Reichard walks off the bus as he makes his way to Kyle Field ahead of the Crimson Tide’s game against Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, on Oct. 6.
The city of Hoover plans to honor Reichard and his accomplishments at a Hoover City Council meeting at Hoover City Hall at 6 p.m. on Feb. 19.
Reichard said he takes great pride in remembering where he got his start.
“I have a lot of family and friends [in Hoover] that I still keep up with,” he said. “I take a lot of pride in being from Hoover.”
