Will Reichard (born January 9, 2001)[1] is an American professional football placekicker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he became the all-time NCAA Division I FBS scoring leader.
 Reichard in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 – Minnesota Vikings | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Placekicker | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born: | January 9, 2001 Hoover, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 187 lb (85 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Hoover | ||||||||||||||||||
| College: | Alabama (2019–2023) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2024 / round: 6 / pick: 203 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Injured reserve | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Early life
editReichard was born on January 9, 2001, and grew up in Hoover, Alabama. Starting in 6th grade, he attended Kohl's Kicking Camps each year and was eventually their number one ranked kicker and number two ranked punter.[2][3] He attended Hoover High School in his hometown, and made 27-of-29 career field goal attempts and was perfect on extra points, making all 109 attempts. As a senior, Reichard was named to the USA Today All-USA high school football team and played in the Under Armour All-America Game. The nation's top kicker according to ESPN, he received scholarship offers from Auburn, LSU, Oklahoma, Alabama, Oregon, and Georgia, committing to Alabama.[4]
College career
edit2019: freshman season
editAfter committing to Alabama, Reichard won the starting placekicker position in training camp, and was given every kicking position to start his first career game. Playing against Duke in week one, he went perfect on 6 extra point attempts, punted twice for 81 yards, and had every kickoff result in a touchback.[4] He missed the final half of the season following injuries, finishing the year 4-for-7 on field goals and 21-for-22 on extra points.[5]
2020: sophomore season
editAs a sophomore in 2020, Reichard played in every game, and went a perfect 98-for-98 on field goals and extra points, becoming only the second Alabama player in history to accomplish that feat.[6] He was named special teams player of the week after games against Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State, Georgia, and Tennessee. After placing fifth in the country with 126 points scored, Reichard was a first-team All-America selection by CBS Sports and a second-team pick by The Sporting News. He also was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to the best kicker in the nation. His team went 13–0 that year, and were named national champions.[4]
2021: junior season
editAs a junior in 2021, Reichard made 22 of 28 field goal attempts and all but one of his 72 extra point attempts, being the overall Southeastern Conference (SEC) leader in points scored and being ranked fifth nationally.[7][8] He earned SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors against Miami and also recorded 106 kickoffs for 6,264 yards (a 59.1 average) with 59 touchbacks.[8]
2022: senior season
editReichard was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award in 2022 after being second in the SEC and third in the nation with 130 total points scored.[9] He converted 22 of 26 field goal attempts and all 64 extra points, additionally totaling 95 kickoffs for 5,948 yards and 47 touchbacks, averaging 62.6 yards per.[4][10] He twice earned SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors and was named second-team All-SEC by Associated Press and league coaches and honorable mention All-American by Pro Football Focus.[4] After initially deciding to enter the 2023 NFL draft, he changed his mind and opted to return for a fifth and final season at Alabama in 2023 after having had his eligibility extended a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]
2023: graduate season
editOn October 14, 2023, against the Arkansas Razorbacks, Reichard set the record for most points scored in Southeastern Conference history at 486, surpassing former Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson's 480.[11] He scored nine points against Auburn in the Iron Bowl to tie Keenan Reynolds for the NCAA's all-time scoring mark with 530 points.[12] The following week, he set the record with a field goal in Alabama's SEC Championship Game victory.[13]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+7⁄8 in (1.85 m) |
187 lb (85 kg) |
31 in (0.79 m) |
8+1⁄2 in (0.22 m) | |||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine[14][15] | ||||||||||||
Reichard was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round, 203rd overall, of the 2024 NFL draft.[16]
Over the first eight weeks of the 2024 season, Reichard made the first 14 field goal attempts of his career, before missing his next two in the Week 9 match-up against the Indianapolis Colts, in which he suffered a minor injury to his oblique muscle. He was placed on injured reserve on November 4.[17]
References
edit- ^ Hall, Erik (December 3, 2020). "Will Reichard: 5 things to know about the Alabama Crimson Tide football placekicker". Tuscaloosa News.
- ^ "Will Reichard". kohlskicking.com.
- ^ Tsoukalas, Tony (October 2, 2020). "Alabama kicker Will Reichard kicks in memory of his father". Rivals.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Will Reichard – Football". University of Alabama Athletics.
- ^ "Will Reichard 2019 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Casagrande, Michael (January 21, 2021). "How rare was Alabama kicker Will Reichard's perfect season? Pretty rare". AL.com.
- ^ Dowd, Patrick (July 27, 2022). "Alabama K Will Reichard named to Lou Groza Award Watch List". Touchdown Alabama.
- ^ a b Byler, Blake (August 5, 2022). "2022 Alabama Crimson Tide Position Preview: Special Teams". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Tsoukalas, Tony (August 2, 2023). "Will Reichard included in Lou Groza Award preseason watch list". Rivals.com.
- ^ a b Windham, Kate (January 3, 2023). "Alabama K Will Reichard Changes Mind, Comes Back for Fifth Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
- ^ Snyder, Anna (October 14, 2023). "Mr. Reliable: Alabama football's Will Reichard becomes SEC all-time leading scorer in win over Arkansas". Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ Knowlton, Jack (November 25, 2023). "Will Reichard ties NCAA career points record". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
- ^ Miller, Will (December 2, 2023). "Will Reichard Breaks NCAA's Career Scoring Record". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
- ^ "Will Reichard Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Will Reichard College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Round 6, No. 203: Vikings draft Alabama K Will Reichard". The New York Times. April 28, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Peters, Craig. "Vikings Place Long Snapper Andrew DePaola and Kicker Will Reichard on Injured Reserve". vikings.com. Retrieved November 8, 2024.