Alabama Football: Saban Shakes Up the Kicking Game by Signing a New Kicker

What do you do when your kicking team is the 62nd best in college football? Well, you could be patient and hope the kickers come around, or if you're Nick Saban, you bring in another kicker to put in the mix.

The Tide already has two "starting" kickers, sophomore Cade Foster, who was supposed to be the solution when Saban signed him two years ago and Jeremy Shelley. Foster is the starting long distance kicker and Shelley is the short range guy and it's almost like the old axiom that if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have one.

Neither has set the woods on fire.

So in the spirit of getting the best from wherever in the world they may come from, we can add a Polish kicker to go along with the Australian nose guard. Saban accepted a commitment from Adam Griffith who hails from Calhoun, Ga. now, but is by way of Poland.

He brought his soccer skills to the football field shortly after hitting Georgia and last year hit 50-of-51 extra points and was 9-of-14 on field goal attempts, including two from 50 yards plus. He also booms kickoffs and averages 68 yards per boot.

In college, kicking from the 35-yard line means that his average kick makes it 100-yard plus effort for the returning team. Saban had hoped Foster would do this but it hasn't panned out that way yet.

Having Griffith on the ground will do at least two things to help the Tide long-term. First of all, his presence will get the competition heated up a bit and if Foster finally comes around, it will allow Saban to redshirt Griffith so his first year of eligibility will be Foster's last. That will give the Tide some great continuity in the kicking game.

This is just another example of Alabama dipping into rival territory, Georgia, and raiding it for some great talent.

Griffith said his decision was easy and there was no need to delay his decision. He claims there is just a comfort level at Alabama that he hasn't experienced anywhere else. His other reason was he has come to like winning as his high school does very well, thanks in part to him and he wants to continue being a winner. He feels Alabama is the best place for that to continue.

Griffith is 5'11' and 175 pounds and is presently playing for the Calhoun High Yellow Jackets who have been on of the state's top teams for years.