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Editor's Note: With preseason practice less than a week away, BamaInsider is previewing the upcoming Alabama football season by looking at each position group on offense, defense and special teams. This installment is on the special teams.
Offense | Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers & Tight ends | Offensive line
Defense | Defensive line | Linebackers | Defensive backs
Where Alabama stands
It’s hard to say if the glass is half full or half empty for Alabama on special teams. On one hand, the Crimson Tide returns one of the nation’s top punters in senior JK Scott. On the other hand, Alabama will need to rely on a freshman kicker who wasn’t enrolled with the team this spring.
That freshman is three-star signee Joseph Bulovas who was rated as the No. 1 kicker in the 2017 class. Bulovas was missed during Alabama’s A-Day scrimmage, as punter JK Scott and kicker Andy Pappanastos combined to go 3-for-6 on field goal attempts. Scott made three of his four attempts, connecting on the game-winning 30-yard kick along with tries from 37 yards and 20 yards out. His only miss came on a 45-yard try late in the fourth quarter. Pappanastos did not have as much success on the day, missing from 31 yards and 38 yards respectively.
While Scott was the better of the two kickers during A-Day, he will most likely stick to his punting duties this season. Last year, Scott finished No. 4 in the nation with an average of 47.19 yards per punt. The senior should also come on for kickoffs. In nine kickoffs last season, Scott averaged 44.44 yards per kick with four touchbacks.
Outside of the kicking and punting duties, Alabama will also have a new face at long snapper, as freshman Thomas Fletcher replaces four-year starter Cole Mazza. Fletcher was rated as the No. 1 long snapper in the nation by long-snapping guru Chris Rubio. Alabama will also have plenty of options in the return game as well. Wide receiver Xavian Marks was used in punt return and kick return during A-Day. Defensive backs Trevon Diggs and Minkah Fitzpatrick and wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Henry Ruggs have also worked out as returners this summer.
Where Alabama would like to be
As mentioned above, the kicking game was a nightmare this spring and will have to be cleaned up by the start of the season. Bulovas has a powerful leg, as seen in a video of a reported 70-yard field goal he posted to his Twitter account in 2015. However, Alabama might be more concerned with the freshman’s accuracy. Outside of Jeremy Shelley, who was used only for short-range field goals during the 2011 and 2012 seasons, the last Alabama kicker to make 80 percent or more of his field goals was Leigh Tiffin, who connected on 30 of 35 tries in 2009.
Unlike Bulovas, Fletcher was on campus this spring as an early enrollee. The freshman long snapper didn’t seem to miss a beat as Alabama head coach Nick Saban referred to him already being in “mid-year” form this spring.
Alabama will need to figure out who it wants to use in the return game. While, Diggs, Fitzpatrick and Ridley are all attractive options, their importance as starters at their respective position might pose too much of a risk on special teams. Marks and Ruggs both have the agility and play-making ability to thrive in the role but will have to prove they can be reliable and make good judgments on returns.
Biggest question
Can Bulovas handle the pressure of kicking at Alabama? As mentioned above, it has been a while since the Tide has had a steady option at the kicker position. If Bulovas is going to change that this season, he will have to enter the season with poise and confidence beyond his years.
The Mandeville, La., native was rated as the No. 2 kicker in the nation, according to Chris Sailor of ChrisSailorKicking.com. The leading source on up-and-coming kickers, Sailor said he’s confident Alabama has a good one in Bulovas.
“He’s one of those kids you knew right away,” Sailor earlier this year. “He stands out physically, he’s extremely athletic. Then as soon as he hit his first ball, the power, control, natural swing and ability were obvious. He was really one of those kids, it was obvious he’d be a top prospect down the road.”
Projected depth chart
K
1. Joseph Bulovas, Fr., 6-0, 212 pounds
2. Andy Pappanastos, R-Sr., 5-11, 190 pounds
3. JK Scott, Sr., 6-6, 204 pounds
P
1. JK Scott, Sr., 6-6, 204 pound
2. Brannon Satterfield, Jr., 6-2, 223 pounds
SN
1. Thomas Fletcher, Fr., 6-2, 220 pounds
2. Scott Meyer, R-Fr., 6-2, 233 pounds.
KR
1. Xavian Marks, Jr., 5-8, 174 pounds
2. Henry Ruggs, Fr., 6-0, 175 pounds
3. Clavin Ridley, Jr., 6-1, 190 pounds
4. Minkah Fitzpatrick, 6-1, 202 pounds
PR
1. Xavian Marks, Jr., 5-8, 174 pounds
2. Henry Ruggs, Fr., 6-0, 175 pounds
3. Trevon Diggs, So., 6-2, 195 pounds
Prediction
Ruggs emerges as a big-play threat in the return game. The 6-foot, 175-pound track star ran a state-record time of 10.58 seconds in the 100-meter dash during his senior year of high school. Ruggs also told BamaInsider that he has been recorded a time of 4.35 in the 40-yard dash. Rated as the No. 19 receiver and No. 125 player over all in the 2017 class, the freshman receiver could also play a role in Alabama’s passing game. However, due to the Tide’s depth at receiver, a role on special teams seems more likely.
Ruggs recorded 353 yards and a touchdown on kick-return duties in high school last year. Given his talent, don’t be surprised if Alabama tries different ways to get him the ball this season.
