 Reichard in 2023 | |
| Alabama Crimson Tide – No. 16 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Placekicker/Punter |
| Class | Graduate |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 9, 2001 Hoover, Alabama, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 194 lb (88 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College | Alabama (2019–2023) |
| Bowl games | |
| High school | Hoover (AL) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| |
Will Reichard (born January 9, 2001)[1] is an American football placekicker and punter for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He is the all-time NCAA Division I FBS scoring leader.
Reichard was born on January 9, 2001, and grew up in Hoover, Alabama. Starting in 6th grade, he attended Kohl's Kicking Camps each year and was eventually their number one ranked kicker and number two ranked punter.[2][3] He attended Hoover High School in his hometown, and made 27-of-29 career field goal attempts and was perfect on extra points, making all 109 attempts. As a senior, Reichard was named to the USA Today All-USA high school football team and played in the Under Armour All-America Game. The nation's top kicker according to ESPN, he received scholarship offers from Auburn, LSU, Oklahoma, Alabama, Oregon, and Georgia, committing to Alabama.[4]
After committing to Alabama, Reichard won the starting placekicker position in training camp, and was given every kicking position to start his first career game. Playing against Duke in week one, he went perfect on 6 extra point attempts, punted twice for 81 yards, and had every kickoff result in a touchback.[4] He missed the final half of the season following injuries, finishing the year 4-for-7 on field goals and 21-for-22 on extra points.
As a sophomore in 2020, Reichard played in every game, and went a perfect 98-for-98 on field goals and extra points, becoming only the second Alabama player in history to accomplish that feat.[5] He was named special teams player of the week after games against Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State, Georgia, and Tennessee. After placing fifth in the country with 126 points scored, Reichard was a first-team All-America selection by CBS Sports and a second-team pick by The Sporting News. He also was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to the best kicker in the nation. His team went 13–0 that year, and were named national champions.[4]
As a junior in 2021, Reichard made 22 of 28 field goal attempts and all but one of his 72 extra point attempts, being the overall Southeastern Conference (SEC) leader in points scored and being ranked fifth nationally.[6][7] He earned SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors against Miami and also recorded 106 kickoffs for 6,264 yards (a 59.1 average) with 59 touchbacks.[7]
Reichard was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award in 2022 after being second in the SEC and third in the nation with 130 total points scored.[8] He converted 22 of 26 field goal attempts and all 64 extra points, additionally totaling 95 kickoffs for 5,948 yards and 47 touchbacks, averaging 62.6 yards per.[4][9] He twice earned SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors and was named second-team All-SEC by Associated Press and league coaches and honorable mention All-American by Pro Football Focus.[4] After initially deciding to enter the 2023 NFL Draft, he changed his mind and opted to return for a fifth and final season at Alabama in 2023 after having had his eligibility extended a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]
On October 14, 2023, against the Arkansas Razorbacks, Reichard set the record for most points scored in Southeastern Conference history at 486, surpassing former Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson's 480.[10] He scored nine points against Auburn in the Iron Bowl to tie Keenan Reynolds for the NCAA's all-time scoring mark with 530 points.[11] The following week, he set the record with a field goal in Alabama's SEC Championship Game victory.[12]