What Conor Talty Learned Sitting Behind Two Legendary Kickers

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Conor Talty is in a really unqiue situation for a college kickers. His first two seasons at Alabama he sat behind a Lou Groza winner and Alabama's all-time leading points scorer in program history.

"Unbelievable privilege," Talty said Monday at Alabama's Media Day. "No kicker in my position can possibly ask for anything better. Will [Reichard], the best, all-times points leader. Graham [Nicholson] had the Lou Groza. Just seeing their different mentalities, how they approched their day-to-days.

"Just being friends with them, too. I take all that in. It all helps. And I add it to my own day-to-day, my own standard. I think it's just helped me to build my own standard, build my discipline."

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer all but named Talty the Crimson Tide's starting kicker for the 2025 season at the start of fall camp.

"I think Talty has done a really nice job, how he's really from last year taken on the role and dove into it," DeBoer said. "Did a nice job on kickoffs and I think that experience and just his growth showed consistency through the spring and was having it today. I thought he was solid the different times we had him out there doing his thing."

Talty was one of the highest-rated kickers in the country in the class of 2023 and likely would've been slotted to be Alabama's starting kicker in 2023. However, Reichard got an extra year of eligibility because of the COVID waiver.

Then Alabama brought in Nicholarson from the transfer portal for the 2024 season, causing Talty to fall down the depth chart again as the primary placekicker. He has not attempted a field goal yet in his career, but is 4 for 4 on extra point attempts. Talty did handle a lot of the kickoff duties last season, with 76 kickoffs for 41 touchbacks in 2024.

"Something that kickoffs really helped me do last year was just being out there and experiencing that environment," Talty said.

Even as a first-time starter at placekicker, the redshirt sophomore kicker will be the most experienced player in the special teams room as the Crimson Tide is also replacing its punter and long snapper.

"From a leadership standpoint, I think it's helped me a lot to help these other guys out," Talty said. "We have a lot of new faces in this room, and knowing what I know from those guys [Reichard and Nicholson], I can just carry it over and keep the standard that Will has set, that James Burnip has set, Kneeland Hibbett, Graham, all those guys down the line."