Alabama Kicker Commit has big shoes to fill

Conor Talty, the No. 3 kicker according to the On3 Consensus Player Rankings, took in his first Iron Bowl experience last weekend. The Alabama commitment shared a complete recap of his return to the Capstone for his official visit.

The day began with a car service from Talty’s home to the airport before flying into Birmingham. Talty met with Nick Saban prior to the Tide’s walk-thru practice. He took part in a photoshoot before heading to dinner on Friday night.

Talty was treated to dinner at the restaurant, Five, where he ate with Special Teams assistant Nick McGriff, freshman punter Upton Bellenfant, associate director of recruiting Carrigan Johnson, marketing coordinator Savannah French, along with his parents. Savannah was also the tour guide for Talty and his family throughout the weekend. 

The Tide’s future place kicker hung out with Bellenfant and a few other preferred walk-ons to close out the first day in Tuscaloosa. He learned more about the inner workings on the football program, what life is like as a student-athlete and visited the campus.

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Highlights included a blow-out win against the Tigers

It was an early Saturday morning in T-Town with the Iron Bowl set for a 2:30 p.m. (CST) kick-off on CBS. Talty had breakfast in the football center and went to pre-game at the Walk of Champions where he received a front row seat to the team’s entrance into the stadium. 

“The build up before the game was incredible,” Talty said. “You see these guys on TV all the time. They are superstars. I’m standing there three feet away from Will Anderson. The fan side of me came out a little bit. It was really cool seeing these guys right in front of you. 

“I thought the game was amazing. The light show was really cool. I have never seen anything like that. It was fun singing songs between quarters. I loved Dixieland Delight. It’s a classic. The whole environment was really good.

“I thought the game was perfect. We killed Auburn at home. It can’t get any better than that. I thought the specialists played good. Kneeland (Hibbett) had a fumble recovery on a punt. It was cool to see him celebrate with the turnover belt. Will (Reichard) was perfect (7/7) on his PATs. 

“Bryce (Young) had a good game which is likely his last at Bryant-Denny, sadly.  It was fun to watch him in person. He’s the best quarterback I’ve ever seen play.”

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Conor Talty feeling more at home

Talty was also joined by his parents, brother and sister during the weekend visit. It was his mom and sister’s first trip to Alabama. There were portions of the visit Talty considered ‘the best’.  His family enjoyed every minute of it.

“They were through the roof,” he said. “My parents were acting like kids. I was trying to tell them, ‘you’re the parents’.  They just couldn’t believe everything. They are so happy and grateful for the opportunity I have and so am I.

“The best part of the visit was probably hanging out after the game on Saturday night. I was with Kneeland Hibbett (Alabama’s long snapper). He took me to one of the player’s houses and we hung out there. James Burnip and Will Reichard stopped by. We talked and had a good time. 

“They welcomed me with open arms. I could definitely feel the brotherhood forming between us. They are easy guys to get along with. I am looking forward to getting down there next year. It’s gonna be a real, fun experience for me. I am ready to put in the work and perform.”

Visit to Coach Saban’s home was jaw-dropping

Alabama special teams coach, Coleman Hutzler (who also coaches outside linebackers), enjoyed dinner with Talty and his family after the Tide’s 49-27 win in the Iron Bowl at Chuck’s (restaurant). He hung out with future teammates that night before spending Sunday at Coach Saban’s home on Lake Tuscaloosa. 

“Coach Saban’s house was great,” Talty said. “They had a really nice breakfast for us. His house is jaw-dropping. They showed us around the house. We went to the big upstairs room where all the recruits hang out. We drove golf carts down to the lake. Mrs. Terry (Saban) is the nicest lady in the world.

“We spoke with Coach Saban before we left to go to the airport. He explained some stuff to my parents. He asked about early enrollment and told us about their depth chart situation. They won’t have a scholarship kicker if Will decides to leave heading into the spring. I would have loved to enroll early, but unfortunately my school doesn’t allow it. Overall, it was a really good talk.”

Preparing to become the Tide’s starting kicker

Talty completed 17-of-22 field goal attempts during his senior season. He broke the St. Rita Catholic School record for most field goals made in a season. He will shift complete focus to training and preparing to replace the Crimson Tide’s all-time leader scorer, Will Reichard. 

“I want to be as prepared as possible,” he said. “I want to earn the starting role. I know after signing day Alabama will send me a manual of everything I need to do even though I won’t be there early. I am looking forward to that. I’ll also get on a nutrition plan. I still have coaches and tools here to help excel my kicking game.

“I think from a skills perspective I want to improve my ball flight. I want to eliminate movement in the air. You have to hit the ball perfect like you are shooting on to a string. You want as little movement as possible in the air. It’s hard to do, but I’ll have the off-season to work on it.”