TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Will Reichard already had a national title and most of Alabama’s individual records at the kicker position. He was regarded as one of the best kicking prospects in last year’s NFL draft and even had his mind made up on leaving for the next level.

So why is he returning for one last ride with the Crimson Tide?

“As I look back on my career, I’m very excited about what we’ve been as a team been able to accomplish,” Reichard said. “I just felt like I had more room to improve before moving on to the next level. Honestly, I didn’t want to leave this place. I’ve been super blessed to meet a lot of people here and build relationships that I’ve been able to build. There’s a lot of people across the country that would love to play here. It’s just something that I wanted to come back and finish my career.”

Since joining Alabama in 2019, Reichard has brought stability to the kicking game, reversing what felt like a hex placed on Crimson Tide kickers in previous years. Across 46 games, the Hoober, Ala., native currently holds the school’s all-time record with an 82.7% success rate on field-goal attempts. That includes a perfect season in 2020 when he made all 14 of his field-goal attempts as well as each of his 84 extra-point tries.

Reichard’s 62 career made field goals rank fourth on Alabama’s all-time list. However, he’s within striking distance of Leigh Tiffin’s record of 83 set from 2006-09.

Those marks are nice, but they aren’t why Reichard is deciding to cash in his COVID year for an extra season in Tuscaloosa.

“That’s not really that important to me,” Reichard said of his individual achievements. “I like to stay in the moment. I’m really excited about this season. Every season is a new challenge. Every season is different. You play with new players, you have a new coach. So, I’m excited for that challenge and the journey we are going to be on this year.”

Rather than rest on his laurels, Reichard is focusing on fine-tuning every aspect of his game before advancing to the next level.

His 84.6% (22 of 24) success rate on field goals last season is going to be difficult to top as it ranked second in the SEC. However, the graduate kicker says he still has some work to do on kickoffs. Reichard averaged a career-high 63.28 yards per kickoff last year but saw his touchback rate drop to 50% down 5% from the previous year.

“As we got later into the year when it got colder outside, I wasn’t hitting as many touchbacks,” Reichard said. “I wasn’t hitting the ball as far. My technique wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be, so that’s something I really worked on this season.”

Reichard might be the only person still nitpicking his own game. The rest of Alabama’s roster is just grateful they get one more season of breathing easily when he steps up for kicks this fall.