Kalen DeBoer is putting a lot of faith in the offseason improvement of Conor Talty

One of the most underrated storylines of the offseason for Alabama was the need for major improvement in special teams. While the QB competition and the offensive line garnered the headlines, improvement in an overlooked area of the game was necessary for the Crimson Tide to take a step forward.

Alabama ranked 107th in Special Teams SP+ for 2025. In the Transfer Portal, Kalen DeBoer and company landed a new kicker, punter, and long snapper.

The biggest addition was Marshall transfer Lorcan Quinn. Quinn has a big leg and connected on 21-of-26 attempts as a freshman for the Thundering Herd. He immediately became the favorite to win the job.

But returnee Conor Talty stayed the course and kept working. Last season's inconsistencies led to an open competition for his job, but he ultimately made the improvements in practice that made DeBoer and special teams coach Jay Nunez comfortable with him taking the job again.

Yea-Alabama announced on Sunday that Talty had won the competition. He'll handle field goals and extra points, while Quinn's role will predominantly be on kickoffs.

Conor Talty beats out Lorcan Quinn to be Alabama's starting kicker

It was an up-and-down season for Talty last year as a first-time starter. He finished the year just 16-of-23 on field goals, which included three misses from under 40 yards away. He had a costly miss before the half against Oklahoma in the regular season of a game the Crimson Tide lost by just two points. His reaction to it - yelling at the Tide's long snapper - irked Alabama fans, who let him hear it the following week against Eastern Illinois.

Down the stretch, Talty used the fan angst as motivation. He was a perfect 2-of-2 in the Iron Bowl as Alabama knocked off Auburn by seven points on the road. He was also 2-of-2 on the road against Oklahoma in Alabama's College Football Playoff win in Norman.

The hope is that Talty can continue his end-of-season trend. Alabama's addition of Quinn was meant to push Talty and make both kickers better. It appears to have done that. Talty took the competition in stride and worked to improve his game.

Both kickers impressed in camp, with reports recently showing they were each making kicks from 55-60 yards away.

Talty won't have the same long leash this season as last. Alabama was stuck last year with him as the obvious best option, despite his inconsistency. This year, DeBoer has the luxury of an experienced kicker waiting in the wings to turn to if Talty struggles.

So while the job is Talty's right now, he'll have to show that his offseason improvement wasn't a fluke and that it will carry over into the season. Because if he starts missing some kicks early, Quinn will be waiting in the wings for his chance to snag the job.

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