In recognition of his legendary collegiate career, former Alabama kicker Will Reichard’s hometown of Hoover, Alabama, honored the native by presenting him with the key to the city and proclaiming Feb. 19, 2024, Will Reichard Day. Reichard secured the NCAA all-time points record in his fifth season at Alabama.
Former Hoover High School football coach Josh Niblett said he discovered Reichard when the future Crimson Tide star was 9, after Reichard converted a game-winning field goal in a youth football playoff game.
Reichard played for the Hoover program under Niblett from 2015 to 2019, contributing to the team’s two state championships during his high school career with the Buccaneers. As the top-ranked kicker by multiple recruiting outlets, Reichard had an impressive high school career, making 27 of 31 field goal attempts and converting all 109 extra-point attempts.
“I’m so proud of him, and I love him to death,” Niblett said. “I’ll be surprised if this record ever gets broken, and it couldn’t have happened to a better guy.”
In 2018, Reichard committed to Alabama over Auburn, LSU and Oklahoma. Winning the starting job before his freshman season, Reichard became one of the most consistent kickers in college football throughout his career.
Reichard’s 2020 season was his most efficient, as he connected on all 14 field goal attempts en route to a College Football Playoff National Championship title. Reichard initially declared for the 2023 NFL draft; however, a combination of factors, including name, image and likeness, caused Reichard to use his extra COVID year of eligibility, returning for a graduate season.
In his final season with the Crimson Tide, Reichard tied the NCAA points record in Auburn, Alabama, at Jordan-Hare Stadium, following Alabama’s fourth-and-31 touchdown with an extra point. In the first quarter of the SEC championship against Georgia, Reichard sneaked a field goal attempt past the right post, becoming the all-time NCAA points leader.
Reichard finished his collegiate career with 547 individual points, 17 ahead of the former record holder, Navy Midshipmen quarterback Keenan Reynolds.
Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban created a powerhouse in Tuscaloosa during his tenure, yet the first years were somewhat overshadowed by the Crimson Tide’s frequent kicking issues. In Saban’s first 10 years as the Alabama head coach, the Crimson Tide left 220 points on the board from missed field goal attempts.
Reichard bucked that trend, and Nick Saban says the Hoover native was just as important as any player he coached at Alabama.
“I don’t know if anybody had a more productive career relative to what their role is, what their job is, what they’re supposed to do in terms of his consistency, his performance, the way he’s improved through the years,” Saban said. “Will’s been a great asset to the organization for a long time and done his job about as well as anybody could expect somebody to do it.”
The Alabama graduate’s football career is far from finished, as he is in the NFL draft process, participating in the Senior Bowl in early February.
Reichard is set to participate in the NFL combine starting Monday. He will also likely participate in Alabama’s pro day on March 20.
Reichard’s local legacy from Hoover to Tuscaloosa is already stamped, yet the Hoover native said he hopes his memory is more than just a record.
“If I could choose my legacy, it would be someone who came in and worked his tail off,” Reichard said. “I wasn’t ever given anything; when I first came here, there weren’t a lot of people who thought I could succeed.”
