a day ago
Has Alabama football decided on starting kicker? Special teams coordinator Jay Nunez says 'no'
As Alabama football's first Saturday scrimmage looms, Crimson Tide kickers are still in a position battle according to special teams coordinator Jay Nunez.
When asked if redshirt sophomore Conor Talty was in control of kicking for Alabama, Nunez was quick to give an outright "No" at media day on Monday.
"He's done a really good job," Nunez told reporters, but as the former Oklahoma Sooners coach navigates his second season at UA, he's seeing all of his guys "kicking well."
REQUIRED READING: Why Alabama football quarterback Ty Simpson 'knows he deserves to talk' this season
SPECIAL TEAMS MAKE SPECIAL TEAMS: Who's up to be Alabama football's starting punter in 2025? Don't count out a local walk-on
Will Saturday scrimmage for Alabama football see starting kicker emerge?
Nunez estimated that Talty has cleared "about 87%" of the estimated 24 attempts he's kicked so far.
Backing up Graham Nicholson last fall, Talty was in charge of kickoff duties, accumulating 4,823 yards on 76 kickoffs with 41 touchbacks. He went three-for-three on PATs, nailing two against Western Kentucky and another against Mercer. Talty added a tackle to his stat line, too.
The dark horse appears to be Peter Notaro, a freshman out of North Allegheny in Wexford, Penn., who Nunez said has only missed one kick. However, the 5-foot-11, 188 pound recruit who was ranked 4th in the nation in the 2025 recruiting class hasn't taken as many reps as Talty. Nonetheless, Notaro's completion rate is still sitting in the 80s, per Nunez.
"Then Reid Schuback, love that kid. Came in and kind of how he's grown in the 18 months I've been here, he's having a good camp as well," Nunez said.
Schuback is a redshirt senior out of Poway High in California and has been with the Crimson Tide since the 2021 season. Yet, he didn't get his first taste of action until the 2024 season against Mercer, when he completed the lone PAT attempt of his collegiate career.
Within the first five days of fall camp, Nunez found it too soon to make the call for who receives the starting nod, but noted that he tries to keep reps even and he's seeing the "guys separate themselves."
"That first scrimmage, we'll start narrowing things down," Nunez said.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football to narrow down starting kicker at Saturday scrimmage
