Alabama heads into the season with one of the best special team units in the country. The Crimson Tide replaced Will Reichard with Lou Groza award-winning kicker Graham Nicholson and has All-SEC performers in long snapper Kneeland Hibbett and punter James Burnip.
Burnip in particular is coming off of his best season with the Crimson Tide. He earned second-team All-SEC honors and his 47.2 yards per punt ranked second in the conference. Burnip finished the campaign with 2,358 yards on 50 punts.
Entering the 2024 season, Burnip has the chance to build on a strong 2023 with a new coach to help him along. In February, Kalen DeBoer hired Jay Nunez from Oklahoma to be a special assistant to the head coach and a special teams analyst for the Crimson Tide. The position allows Nunez to dedicate all his energy to developing the talented group.
But when Nunez first began coaching Alabama’s specialists during spring practice, he didn’t see the same Burnip that Tide fans saw last fall.
“James, when I first got here, struggled in the spring,” Nunez said after Alabama’s practice Wednesday. “I was like ‘Man, this guy’s a little overrated. But he was dealing with some things and just started kicking [into gear].”
DeBoer had a similar impression of Burnip’s play early in spring camp. Following the Tide’s second fall camp scrimmage DeBoer said he thought Burnip had potential but needed to work on his consistency.
It didn’t take long for the veteran punter to find it.
“You saw it at the end of spring ball, that consistency happened,” DeBoer said. “And then he’s been nothing but phenomenal all camp from Day 1. So I was interested to see how he’d come through the summer and if he was ready to go, and he was definitely ready to go.”
Burnip made the improvements DeBoer and Nunez were looking for. He focused on delivering the same ball every time, whether the punt was from the 40-yard line or the 15-yard line. He continued to polish his technique and fundamentals and, after some spring jitters, enters the new season ready to pick up where he left off in 2023.
“This fall camp he’s putting the ball where it’s supposed to be,” Nunez said. “It’s high. We’re not out-kicking our coverage, [that's] been really great. The pooch punt, short field stuff, that was an emphasis we had this fall. Making sure we’re not getting touchbacks, we’re changing the game for the defense.”
For a specialist, much of the game is mental. Practicing the same kick over and over again while staying out of your own way to execute in the biggest moment during games. That kind of repetition and mental focus creates a dedication for players like Burnip who strive to turn consistency into perfection.
Burnip refused to let a slow start to spring practice slow him down, and after finding his footing, is ready to strive for even bigger goals in 2024.
“I just want to be perfect,” Burnip said. “I know it’s pretty hard to be perfect at a position like a punter or a specialist in general, but I just want to be perfect at what I do. I want to go on the field knowing [fans] don't have to worry about a punter going on the field, just knowing it's going to be kicked as far as it can, downed wherever it can and that’s my goal for it all.”
Alabama’s special teams unit has the chance to come about as close to perfect as a specialist unit can this season. Burnip, Hibbett and Nicholson are all nominated for their respective preseason positional awards. The addition of Nunez gives the group a coach who can spend all his time and energy helping Burnip and his specialist teammates overcome slumps like the one Burnip went through early this spring.
If Alabama's specialists continue to be consistent, they are more than capable of living up to the lofty expectations set for the unit this season. Burnip's spring form is in the rearview mirror, now he's looking to leave a legacy.
“Everyone’s got the award [nominations] already,” Burnip said. “So I think it’s going to be really special what we do on the field this year, and I don’t think any other team will be able to replicate what we’re gonna do for many years.”
