Kalen DeBoer isn’t ready to crown Alabama’s kicker just yet, and he’s not pretending the competition is anything less than tight.
Speaking Thursday, the Crimson Tide head coach described the battle between Conor Talty and Lorcan Quinn as exactly that - “a battle” - while making clear he sees it as a healthy one. Both kickers, DeBoer said, have been turning in strong work in fall camp.
“Both of them I think are very talented, and I think Conor’s really built a lot of momentum through the offseason, especially since this summer,” DeBoer said. “Lorcan, you can see what he’s got as far as leg strength, whether it’s field goals, kickoffs and just maturity.
He responds and battles back. There’s going to be adversity, and you’re not going to be perfect as a kicker, so a lot of it is like what’s the next kick look like?
What’s your response going to be? It’s a strong competition right now.
It’s a battle, and I mean that in a good way because they are both kicking very well.”
Talty handled Alabama’s kicking duties throughout the 2025 season, and the results came with plenty of fluctuation. He went 16-of-23 on field goals and connected from a long of 48 yards.
Quinn arrived at Alabama as a transfer from Marshall and brings a steadier statistical resume into the race. Last season, he made 21 of 26 field goals, and two weeks ago he landed on the preseason Lou Groza Award watch list.
The two kickers have already been splitting work in public view. They rotated at the position during Alabama’s A-Day and, by DeBoer’s account, received equal reps in the Crimson Tide’s second scrimmage of fall camp. Even so, Alabama has not named a starter.
The Crimson Tide open the 2026 season at home against East Carolina on Sept. 5.
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