On Tuesday afternoon, cornerback Eli Ricks became the fifth junior for Alabama Football to declare for the NFL Draft in roughly a 24-hour period. Ricks had one of the biggest decisions to make regarding the draft following the conclusion of the 2022 season.
Eli Ricks’ season got off to a slow start, mostly due to injuries. He eventually seized the starting cornerback position in week eight, and was impactful when healthy. Bama Hammer’s Ron Evans detailed the implications of Ricks’ departure from the program.
While Eli Ricks’ decision was the most surprising of the draft-eligible juniors, Alabama football fans got another surprise on Tuesday.
Alabama Football: Reichard runs it back
Kicker Will Reichard, who had previously accepted a Senior Bowl invite and announced his intention to enter the draft, appears to have had a change of heart. Reichard is unquestionably one of the best kickers in Alabama history, and stabilized what was perhaps the biggest Achilles’ heel of the Nick Saban era.
He has hit 82.7 percent of his field goal attempts (62-75) and over 99 percent of his extra point attempts (240-242) in his career. He has made several high-pressure kicks, including a game-winner at Texas this season.
Reichard’s return is important for several reasons. He has been arguably the best kicker in the country over the past three seasons. He is already Alabama’s all-time scoring leader, and will have the opportunity to move into first place in field goals made.
Will Reichard’s consistency and dependability could be huge for a 2023 Alabama Football team that will have question marks and plenty of youth on both sides of the ball. If Reichard had stuck with his decision to join the professional ranks, Alabama would have likely had to rely on incoming true freshman Connor Talty at kicker.
Reichard went 22-26 (84.6 percent) on field goal attempts and 64-64 on extra point attempts in 2022, and was named second team All-SEC. Regrettably, all four of his missed field goals came in a midseason three-game stretch that had a major impact on Alabama’s season.
His two misses against Texas A&M left the door wide open for the Aggies. With a defensive stand on the game’s final play, Alabama ultimately held on for a 24-20 win. The following week, a late Reichard miss from 50 yards out allowed Tennessee to set up their own game-winning field goal, and Alabama fell 52-49 in Knoxville.
Despite being automatic for the vast majority of his career, there has to be some sense of redemption that helped to fuel Will Reichard’s decision.
If Alabama football goes on to win the 2023 national championship, the clutch kicker will have played a huge role.