What comes next after perfection? Following a 14-0 record last season, that is the crux of Alabama’s mindset this fall as it looks to embark on another title-winning run.
On a smaller scale, the matter of perfection is a popular topic when it comes to one Crimson Tide player in particular.
Will Reichard accomplished a football rarity last season, connecting on all 14 of his field-goal attempts as well as each of his 84 extra-point tries. According to the Lou Groza Award website, the kicker’s 98 makes are the most in FBS history by anyone who remained perfect on the year. The streak actually extends to 101 straight makes as Reichard’s last miss occured on a failed extra-point try against South Carolina during his freshman season, 23 months ago.
So where does he go from here?
“You know, just keep going out everyday and getting better,” Reichard said during his first media appearance Thursday. “You know I told our specialist group everyday we go out to practice, find something intentional, and go out there and get better at it. As a specialist, you know, we're not always hitting balls every single day. But you can do something off the field, whether that's you know doing hip mobility, back, core work, all sorts of stuff to get yourself better, and stay healthy for the next practice.”
Reichard’s streak of perfection is mentioned with an air of caution among Crimson Tide fans who don’t want to jinx the kicker. However, there’s a bit less superstition inside Alabama’s locker room.
When asked Thursday, Alabama offensive lineman Chris Owens said he wasn’t keeping track of Reichard’s string of makes. In fact, he didn’t even take notice of the perfect season until after the national championship game.
“I mean, we didn’t notice that he missed field goals, so that’s always good,” Owens said. “I’m not gonna lie to you guys, I didn’t recognize it was a thing until the end of the season. We didn’t notice that he missed ones. If you asked me, my favorite [made field goal] was the one against Georgia, that was my favorite.”
While Owens might not have known he was witnessing history, Reichard says he was well aware of his run.
“It was in my head,” he said. “I knew about it, but at the end of the day you're only as good as your next rep. So you have to go out there and execute to the best of your ability.”
Reichard’s doesn’t seem to be bothered by the pressure that coincides with his current streak. As consistent as he’s been, it’s almost inevitable that at least one of his kicks will sail wide of the uprights at some point this season. His uncharacteristic trio of misses during the A-Day scrimmage are a reminder of his mortality. However, even that doesn’t seem to faze him.
“I didn't really think too much about it,” Reichard said of his off showing at A-Day. “I had a great spring. It was probably the only day where I had a couple misses, so all in all I was really proud of my spring. And, you know at the end of the day I really don't think about that performance anymore, so it's all in the past. We’ve just got to keep focused on getting better.”
That next-kick mentality figures to be key in Reichard maintaining his momentum.
Recent years have provided mixed results for kickers coming off of perfect or near-perfect seasons. Oklahoma’s Gabe Brkic went 69-for-69 (17 FG, 52 EP) in 2019 before following it up with a respectable season last year as he went 20-for-26 on field-goal attempts and converted on all 49 of his extra-point tries.
Conversely, Wyoming Cooper Rothe wasn’t able to repeat his success following up a near-perfect season three years ago. After going 16-for-17 on field-goal attempts and 28-for-28 on extra-point tries in 2018, Rothe struggled the following year, dipping down to 15 of 22 (68.2 percent) on his field-goal attempts while missing three of his 40 extra-point tries.
Jeremey Shelley is the only other Alabama kicker to experience perfection, as he combined to make all 80 (11 FG, 69 EP) in 2012. Shelley was a senior that season, so he wasn’t presented with the opportunity to continue his streak the following year.
Time will tell if Reichard will be able to replicate last season’s magic. However, as far as he’s concerned, 2021 offers a completely new slate.
“All that stuff is kind of behind me now,” Reichard said. “I’m looking forward to the season and doing what I can do every day to get better.”
