Alabama’s decision at kicker may have caught some people off guard, but the Crimson Tide believe they’ve landed on the right answer in senior Conor Talty.
Talty beat out Marshall transfer Lorcan Quinn for the starting job after a camp that Alabama saw as a major step forward. That outcome matters because Quinn wasn’t simply brought in as depth - he arrived as real competition for a kicker who had been inconsistent last season. Still, Talty stayed put, took the challenge head-on and won the job.
That’s a notable turn for a player who entered Alabama with plenty of pedigree. Talty was the No. 3-ranked kicker in the 2023 recruiting class, and as a freshman he sat behind Will Reichard, who is arguably the best kicker in program history. Alabama then went back into the portal and added Miami Ohio’s Graham Nicholson, the 2023 Lou Groza Award winner, because DeBoer and staff didn’t believe Talty was ready for the role in 2024.
When Talty finally got his chance, the results were uneven. He went 16-of-23 on field goals and missed three kicks from inside 40 yards.
One of the most painful came in November against Oklahoma, when he missed a short attempt before halftime in a game Alabama eventually lost by two. After that miss, Talty’s reaction toward Alabama’s long snapper drew boos from the home crowd the next week.
He did respond, though. Talty closed the season by making his final five kicks, including a perfect 2-of-2 in the Iron Bowl and another 2-of-2 in Alabama’s College Football Playoff road win over Oklahoma.
Now, after handling Quinn’s arrival without issue, Talty appears to be in position to give Alabama something it didn’t always have a year ago: reliability.
Kalen DeBoer said Wednesday on the SEC Coaches Teleconference that fall camp has been the key to Talty’s growth.
“I think fall camp is really where we’ve seen his growth and how it’s helped him become a better kicker," DeBoer said on Wednesday." I just think that he’s grown as a person, as well.
He’s understanding he isn’t going to be perfect. And we understand he’s human.
But he also knows that he has to, with the competition comes having to raise your level in all ways. And he’s done that.
"He’s been super consistent all camp long. Really never any highs and lows.
And just super proud of him based on what he’s gone through and the way he really took a step and kind of owned it in the offseason early. And then how it’s kind of transpired into production that is at a super high level here during camp.”
That consistency was exactly what Talty lacked last season, and if he has truly cleaned that up, Alabama may have found a weapon instead of just a serviceable option.
The leg strength has never been the question. DeBoer and others have said during camp that both Talty and Quinn were connecting from 55-plus yards. But kicking in practice and kicking with the game on the line are two different worlds, and the mental side of the position is every bit as important as the mechanics.
The good news for Alabama is that this year comes with a safety net it didn’t have before. Quinn is there if Talty falters, and that should keep the pressure on while also helping Talty stay sharp.
Alabama is betting that the version of Talty it saw in camp is the one it gets when the season starts. If that holds, the Crimson Tide could have one of the country’s better kickers.
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