Alabama’s kicking job has belonged to Conor Talty this season, but Saturday against Texas A&M brought his roughest outing yet.
Talty, who had made 10 straight field goals before the Aggies game, went 1-for-3 and missed from 36 and 42 yards. He did connect from 47 yards, but the two misses marked his first setbacks of the year after opening the season with a clean run.
The Chicago native won the starting job again in fall camp after being pushed by Marshall transfer Lorcan Quinn. After an up-and-down year, Talty came out on top in that battle and reclaimed Alabama’s first-string kicker role for the 2025 season.
Kalen DeBoer said Talty’s response has been about resetting quickly and leaning on the work he’s put in.
“I know he’s disappointed, and he’s been through it, and he’s not perfect in practice through eight weeks and fall camp, too,” DeBoer said. “There’s a response every day in practice and the confidence that gets built and knowing what your mindset has to be to respond.
That’s on another level when you’re in the game, and each kick is its own kick, so you can’t sit there and think about what you did right or wrong. You just gotta go trust and believe that you have the skill set, and just get your mind in the right place, and be confident to go kick the next one, and so, you know, I saw him in practice today go out there and execute all his kicks, and thought he looked really good again.”
Alabama now heads into its BYE week, giving Talty a chance to settle back in and build momentum again.
In Other News...
Alabama Still Has One Noah Rogers Decision Hanging Over The Offense
Noah Rogers has been back in the mix since Week 4, but Alabama still has not fully unlocked what it wants from the NC State transfer. A knee injury in spring practice slowed his rollout, and while the staff has clearly been interested in finding more room for him on offense, the challenge has been fitting him into an already crowded rotation without pulling someone else off the field.
Kalen DeBoer has said the Tide would like to involve Rogers more, which leaves this as more than a simple health update. It is a usage question now, and one that will keep lingering as Alabama sorts out how to balance its personnel. Elsewhere around the program, sophomore guard Amari Allen is entering the year with some real buzz after being named preseason All-SEC first team by league coaches following a strong freshman season and a solid preseason showing. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Heads To LSU With DeBoer Taking A Very Different Approach
The Alabama-LSU matchup on Nov. 7 already carried plenty of weight, but Lane Kiffin helped sharpen the edge by calling out the SECs decision to put the game in an afternoon window and suggesting the schedule favors LSU. His comments added another layer to a rivalry that rarely needs much help getting attention, especially with both programs entering a stretch where every move feels magnified.
Kalen DeBoer, meanwhile, has taken a noticeably different tack in the buildup, keeping the focus on Alabama rather than joining the public back-and-forth. With LSU dealing with injuries and the stakes obvious for the Crimson Tide, the game sets up as one of those November tests that can reshape the conversation around Alabama almost immediately, depending on how it plays out. [Read more 🡒]
Kalen DeBoer Just Landed In An Alabama Scenario Fans Will Hate
Kalen DeBoer is already getting pulled into the kind of rumor mill Alabama fans never want to see around a coach who is still settling in. After signing a long-term deal with the Crimson Tide, DeBoer has nevertheless surfaced as a name to watch if USC ever decides to make a change with Lincoln Riley, whose tenure in Los Angeles has yet to produce a national championship or a College Football Playoff berth.
For Alabama, the concern is obvious: whenever a coach starts showing up on another blue-bloods wish list, the speculation follows. DeBoers contract was built to give the Tide stability, but the USC angle keeps his name in circulation for a job that would be hard for any coach to ignore, and it leaves Alabama fans waiting to see whether the noise fades or grows louder. [Read more 🡒]