Will Reichard responds to compliments from Nick Saban

Alabama kicker Will Reichard responded this week to his head coach Nick Saban praising him as he surpassed Leigh Tiffin to become the program’s all-time leading scorer. Saban called him “very, very consistent,” and “phenomenal,” ahead of the Iron Bowl versus Auburn.

The senior has scored 410 points so far in his four-year career and it’s not over quite yet.

“It’s been outstanding (to earn his praise),” Reichard said. “I didn’t think that he would say those types of things but it’s definitely an honor. I mean, obviously, he’s the greatest coach of all time. Anytime he praises someone, it means a lot for a player.”

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The No. 1 kicker in the 2019 class according to On3 Consensus, Reichard immediately stepped in as a starter during his first season at Alabama. However, he played in only five games that season as he struggled with injuries. He finished that year 4-of-7 on field goals and 21-of-22 on PATs. He returned healthy the following season to go a perfect 14-of-14 on his field goals and 84-of-84 on PATs to become a finalist for the Lou Groza Award.

Overall in his career, Reichard is 61-of-74 (82.4%) on his field goals and 227-of-229 on PATs. His 61 field goals rank him fourth in Crimson Tide history, and he is 23 more away from surpassing Tiffin for the lead.

Saban on Reichard: ‘He’s been very, very consistent’

“I think Will’s been great,” Saban said earlier this month. “I’ve been coaching for a long time, and I know a couple seasons ago, he was perfect for the whole year in terms of field goals and extra points. … He’s done a really good job for us this year. I know he missed a couple, but they were long ones, they were tough ones. He’s been very, very consistent.

“He’s very consistent in practice, he’s very consistent in his routine, he’s got the right mindset to not get sort of rattled in situations and he’s very, very competitive. I absolutely just love the guy as a specialist. Sometimes, your specialists are a little different. He’s just phenomenal.”

Alabama kicks off versus Auburn on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Two of the last four Iron Bowls have been decided by three points or less. Reichard went a perfect 3-for-3 FG and 2-for-2 XP in last year’s 24-22 win that required four overtimes.