New Vikings Kicker Is a “Cold-Blooded Sniper”
Throughout the 2024 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings made seven selections.
One of those selections was Alabama kicker Will Reichard with the 203rd overall pick in the sixth round. Reichard was the first kicker to be selected in the draft and the second specialist after the Chicago Bears selected punter Tory Taylor in the fourth round.
Reichard was one of the most successful kickers in college football history, and luckily, Vikings fans had a chance to listen to one of his former Alabama teammates and Minnesota’s second draft selection, Dallas Turner, describe the new Vikings kicker’s abilities.
New Vikings Kicker Is a “Cold-Blooded Sniper”
Turner made an appearance on KFAN’s Nine to Noon with Paul Allen, and he had this to say of what the Vikings are getting in Reichard:
“They (the Vikings) got a cold-blooded sniper; that’s that man ‘Will Record.’ Will was my only kicker in college. That’s all I know. Will is definitely cold-blooded. He showed up every single time we needed him.”
Reichard finished his collegiate career as the all-time leading scorer in college football, totaling 547 points to his name throughout his time with the Crimson Tide. Thus, the nickname of “Will Record.”
After Greg Joseph left in free agency to sign with the Green Bay Packers, the Vikings needed to find another solution at the kicker position. Of course, they inked a deal with John Parker Romo earlier in the offseason, but the former XFLer has never appeared in an NFL regular season game.
As a result, Reichard becomes the competition for Romo at a position that historically has been treacherous for Minnesota. Luckily for the Vikings, though, the former Alabama kicker has proven capable of shining in the spotlight throughout his collegiate career.
During Alabama’s run to the national championship in 2020, Reichard nailed all 14 of his field goal attempts throughout the season as well as all 84 of his extra point attempts. In total, he attempted 100 field goals and made 84 of them, including hitting 10 of his 13 attempts from 50+ yards.
The kicking battle looks to be fierce in Minnesota this spring. We’ll see if Reichard can live up to the praise heaped upon him by his collegiate and Vikings teammate.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Focus.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.