Miami (Ohio) coach Chuck Martin accuses Alabama of “illegally” recruiting former All-America placekicker Graham Nicholson, an accusation Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer denies.
Martin made the accusation after being asked in a video for the school’s website about “losing” his star kicker through the transfer portal. Nicholson, who won the Lou Groza Award last season as the nation’s top placekicker, replaces Will Reichard at preseason No. 5 Alabama, which opens the season Aug. 31 against Western Kentucky.
“We didn’t lose him,” Martin said. “He’s at Alabama. We know exactly where he is. You media people, it’s all fake. No, Alabama stole our kicker. They illegally recruited our kicker and stole him from us.
“That’s a fact. But we pretend it’s not true. … We live in a la-la world, like, let’s not talk about (reality). I don’t know why, everybody knows what’s going on. Alabama stole our kicker. A couple of other schools tried to steal him.”
DeBoer said after practice that Alabama followed proper protocols.
“I mean, he went into the portal and we reached out to him,” the Tide coach said. “That’s how it goes, right? So we did everything the way we were supposed to.”
In a separate case, Iowa suspended head coach Kirk Ferentz and wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr for the No. 25 Hawkeyes’ season opener against Illinois State on Aug. 31 for a recruiting violation.
Neither Ferentz nor the school named the player whose recruitment was in question. The Athletic, citing an anonymous source, reported that it was starting quarterback Cade McNamara, who transferred from Michigan before the 2023 season.
Nicholson made 27 of the RedHawks’ 28 field goals last season and all but one of his 36 extra-point attempts. He is the Mid-American Conference’s first Lou Groza Award winner.
Reichard set the FBS record for career points with 547 during his career at Alabama.
