Alabama kicker Conor Talty’s first season as the Crimson Tide’s starter has been anything but smooth.
Talty began the season 7/10 on field goal attempts, but made just four of his next eight attempts, and drew the ire of the Crimson Tide faithful after he missed chip-shot field goals against Oklahoma and Eastern Illinois. He was booed on several occasions by the crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium, in particular during the Eastern Illinois game.
Talty described his tumultuous first season as Alabama’s starter as a “roller coaster” at Rose Bowl media day.
“Obviously, going into a season, you don’t expect to have so many misses, and expect to have so many problems — whether that’s operational, whether that’s with me. That’s never the plan,” he said.
The redshirt sophomore was able to shake the late-season struggles and has rebounded with four straight made kicks.
“I think in my first season kicking, I probably experienced every single bad outcome that a kicker can go through,” Talty said. “But at the same time, I’ve had so many great moments, too.”
Talty has come up clutch for the Crimson Tide on several occasions this season, including in the Iron Bowl and in the team’s College Football Playoff first round win over Oklahoma, in which he outperformed Sooners kicker and Lou Groza Award winner Tate Sandell.
“I’m proud of the way he’s responded,” head coach Kalen DeBoer said of Talty on Nov. 30. “He just went back to work. It’s a lesson in resiliency for everyone, and it’s a lesson in the brotherhood. No matter what it looks like or feels like inside, it’s tight.”
While he has flipped the script on his season with strong outings in key games, it is still possible that DeBoer and staff opt to bring in another kicker in the coming offseason. Talty, who competed with NCAA all-time scoring leader Will Reichard in 2023 and Lou Groza Award winner Graham Nicholson in 2024, welcomed the possibility of competition.
“I don’t care if you bring in a Lou Groza winner, or what the situation is,” Talty said. “I’m gonna compete and do my best and try to help this team win in any way possible.”
Alabama’s quest for a national championship continues Thursday in the 112th Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. CT, and the game can be seen on ESPN.
