Alabama kicker Will Reichard makes history in SEC Championship game
By Josh Yourish
It wasn’t exactly the start the Alabama Crimson Tide wanted against the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship game, but it was a historic start for one player. The Bulldogs struck first with a touchdown, and Alabama couldn’t answer with one of their own, so veteran kicker Will Reichard came on for a 43-yard field goal.
Reichard nailed the kick and with it, he became the FBS all-time leading scorer with 533 career points. The senior has been kicking at Alabama since 2019 and has made 81 field goals and 290 of 292 extra points.
This season, Reichard has hit 85% of his field goals (18-21) his best year since 2020 when he was a perfect 14-for-14.
CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell reported that Reichard’s special moment was missing someone; his father who passed away in 2016 from pancreatic cancer. Dell reported that Will’s father Gary was his first kicking coach and that Will said, “his dad would just eat this up.”
Dell also said that Reichard points up to the sky after his kicks to honor his father.
Alabama and quarterback Jalen Milroe will hope that Reichard is busy the rest of the afternoon in Atlanta, with the SEC title and a spot in the College Football Playoff on the line, but the offense will hope that he’s lining up more extra points than field goals.
The first quarter of the SEC Championship ended with Georgia still leading 7-3, and Alabama driving on its own side of the field. If the game remains close, it could come down to a big kick, from the new FBS all-time leading scorer.
