Alabama football coach shares injury update, leader of punter competition

It’s been several years since Alabama football had to think about who its punter would be. James Burnip was a four-year starter for the Crimson Tide, and ended his career as one of the top punters in college football.

The obvious replacement answer, with Burnip off to the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, was Alex Asparuhov, who joined the Crimson Tide in the 2025 recruiting class. However, Asparuhov, who Kohl’s Kicking Camps ranked as a five-star punter and the No. 3 punter in the class, suffered a knee injury his senior year of high school, and his status was in doubt.

Alabama then brought in Blake Doud, a transfer from the Colorado School of Mines. Speaking to reporters Monday in Tuscaloosa, UA special teams coach Jay Nunez shared an update on the competition.

“They’re all right there,” Nunez said. “I’d say Blake’s probably had the best overall there, and then Alex has been right there, and then even (Northridge product) Anderson Green as a local walk-on, and the growth that guy’s had in four months, he’s come a long way in his deal. So I think Blake’s been the leader so far, but we’ll let those guys battle it out and see where it goes.”

Doud led all Division II punters with 46.6 yards per punt last season. He spent four years in DII before transferring in to Alabama.