Alabama star prepares for final home game of his career with history on the line

When the Alabama Crimson Tide (9-1, 7-0 SEC) takes the field Saturday against Chattanooga, it will be the final game in Bryant Denny-Stadium for the team’s seniors. 

That includes kicker Will Reichard, who will have more on his mind than just soaking up the atmosphere one last time in crimson. Reichard is chasing history. With 509 career points, he’s 21 points behind former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds (530) in the rankings of all-time scorers in FBS football.  

With two regular-season games, the SEC championship and a bowl game to go, he has an opportunity to leave a legacy in Tuscaloosa of not only being one of the best to ever kick for the Crimson Tide, but also the top scorer among all the stars college football has seen. 

But even if Reichard doesn’t take the record, he’s surely changed the narrative. The kicker position at Alabama used to be a weakness often compared to the infamously vulnerable exhaust port on the Death Star in “Star Wars.” 

With Reichard kicking, however, 50-yard boots are makeable, and he doesn’t sacrifice accuracy for that distance. This year, he’s 15-of-17 and perfect on 38 extra point tries. In the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, he was a perfect 14-of-14 on fields goals and 84-of-84 on extra points, yet another piece of a squad that laid waste to many an opponent on the way to an undefeated season and national championship. 

He’s even punted well when called upon, like after an injury to James Burnip. So when Reichard, an all-time Alabama great, takes the field in Tuscaloosa one final time on Saturday, soak it in, Bama fans. He will be.

“It’s a little sad that it’s gonna be my last time at Bryant-Denny," he said, as reported by AL.com. "But super thankful to have been able to play here for the last five years, it’s been a huge blessing. Really thankful for coach Saban giving me the opportunity to do so and I’m really excited to run on that field one last time.”