Alabama's ongoing quarterback battle between Keelon Russell and Austin Mack has understandably dominated the conversation throughout fall camp.
But while the Crimson Tide's two signal callers continue to compete for one of the most scrutinized jobs in college football, another position battle has quietly become one of the most intriguing — and potentially important — competitions inside Kalen DeBoer's program.
Conor Talty and Lorcan Quinn have remained locked in a competition that, based on DeBoer's comments following Alabama's second scrimmage on Thursday, isn't simply about who can consistently put the football through the uprights.
There's a mental component to it, as well.
DeBoer understands misses are inevitable. What Alabama appears to be evaluating is what happens after one.
Forget leg power — Kalen DeBoer wants resiliency from Alabama's kicker in 2026
“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," DeBoer said. "It’s a battle, and I mean that in a good way because they are both kicking very well.”
That seemingly small detail from DeBoer carries much weight when considering just how inconsistent Alabama's kicking game was throughout the 2025 season.
Talty experienced his fair share of ups and downs during his first season as starting kicker, converting 16-of-23 on field goal attempts for a 70% success rate. Quinn, meanwhile, arrived at Alabama from Marshall with a strong track record of his own, converting 21-of-26 field goal attempts and 38-of-39 on extra points. That included a career-long 55-yard field goal, which also set a Thundering Herd program record.
The competition only intensified during Alabama's A-Day spring game, where two kickers delivered very different results.
Talty notably missed a 38-yard attempt while finishing 2-of-3 on the day. Quinn, however, made the most of his opportunity, drilling a pair of 47-yard field goals along with a 28-yarder, finishing a perfect 3-for-3.
Since then, both kickers have tightened up their mechanics and have made things very interesting for DeBoer and Alabama special teams coordinator Jay Nunez. But the biggest development since the spring may be that neither kicker has allowed the competition to become one-sided.
DeBoer has since praised Talty for his willingness to compete throughout the offseason, even while Quinn has gained national recognition after being named to the preseason Lou Groza Award watch list.
That has left Alabama with a competition that remains genuinely unsettled at this stage of fall camp, ahead of the 2026 regular season — and one that could be decided by something that doesn't show up in any practice stat sheet: The next kick.
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