The kickoff return staged a comeback in the NFL in the 2024 season, and players with Alabama football roots played their part as 12 returned kickoffs.
After the NFL had 587 kickoff returns for a 23.0-yard average and four touchdowns in 2023, those numbers jumped to 920 kickoff returns for a 27.6-yard average and seven touchdowns in 2024, when the league switched to its “Dynamic Kickoff Rule.”
And the NFL moved again this offseason with an eye toward continuing that increase by switching the starting point after a touchback from the receiving team’s 30-yard line to its 35.
Former Alabama running back Jerome Ford topped the players from state high schools and colleges in kickoff-return yards in 2024 with 388 on 15 returns for the Cleveland Browns. Ford surpassed 1,000 kickoff-return yards for his career last season.
The player with Alabama football roots who has the most NFL kickoff-return yards is Speedy Duncan with 4,539. While Alabama has produced players who are near the top in NFL history in several major statistical categories, kickoff-return yards is not one of the state’s strong suits. Duncan was an all-star returner for the San Diego Chargers, but his kickoff-return yardage ranks 49th on the league’s all-time list.
The single-season record for NFL kickoff-return yards by a player from an Alabama high school or college is 1,468 by cornerback Leodis McKelvin (Troy) for the Buffalo Bills in 2008.
The best kickoff-return average for players with Alabama roots who have had at least 75 returns (the minimum standard for the NFL record book) also belongs to McKelvin at 26.0 yards.
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Washington Redskins cornerback Speedy Duncan
Washington Redskins cornerback Speedy Duncan returns a kick during an NFL game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Oct. 15, 1972, in St. Louis.Clifton Boutelle/Getty Images
The 10 players from Alabama high schools and colleges who have the most kickoff-return yards include:
1. Speedy Duncan, Druid High School in Tuscaloosa: 4,539 kickoff-return yards
San Diego Chargers 1964-1970, Washington Redskins 1971-1974: The cornerback averaged 25.2 yards on 180 kickoff returns. Duncan was a Pro Bowler four times, including three years when he was a starting cornerback. While Duncan returned four punts and three interceptions for touchdowns, he never had a kickoff-return TD, even though he had one that he ran back 91 yards.
2. Dwight Stone, Florala High School: 3,927 kickoff-return yards
Pittsburgh Steelers 1987-1994, Carolina Panthers 1995-1998, New York Jets 1999-2000: The wide receiver averaged 21.1 yards on 186 kickoff returns. Stone returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown against the Houston Oilers on Dec. 4, 1988.
3. Ameer Abdullah, Homewood High School: 3,783 kickoff-return yards
Detroit Lions 2015-2018, Minnesota Vikings 2018-2021, Carolina Panthers 2021, Las Vegas Raiders 2022-2024: The running back has averaged 25.1 yards on 151 kickoff returns. As a rookie in 2015, Abdullah led the NFL with 37 kickoff returns and 1,077 kickoff-return yards. He had a 104-yard kickoff return in 2015 that did not result in a touchdown, tying a record for the longest non-scoring play in NFL history.
4. David Palmer, Jackson-Olin High School in Birmingham, Alabama: 3,274 kickoff-return yards
Minnesota Vikings 1994-2000: The wide receiver averaged 22.6 yards on 145 kickoff returns. Palmer returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 13, 1998.
5. James Brooks,Auburn: 2,762 kickoff-return yards
San Diego Chargers 1981-1983, Cincinnati Bengals 1984-1991, Cleveland Browns 1992, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1992: The running back averaged 20.9 yards on 132 kickoff returns. Brooks led the NFL with 33 kickoff returns and 749 kickoff-return yards in 1982. Brooks was a four-time Pro Bowler as a running back.
6. Tremon Smith, Saks High School: 2,493 kickoff-return yards
Kansas City Chiefs 2018-2019, Green Bay Packers 2019, Indianapolis Colts 2020, Houston Texans 2021-2022, Denver Broncos 2023-2024: The cornerback has averaged 24.9 yards on 100 kickoff returns. Smith was the kick returner on the Pro Football Writers of America’s All-Rookie team in 2018, when he averaged 26.8 yards on 33 returns. The former high school quarterback scored on a 98-yard kickoff return against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 19, 2021.
7. Leodis McKelvin, Troy: 2,471 kickoff-return yards
Buffalo Bills 2008-2015, Philadelphia Eagles 2016: The cornerback averaged 26.0 yards on 95 kickoff returns. McKelvin returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 17, 2008.
8. Lionel James, Auburn: 2,278 kickoff-return yards
San Diego Chargers 1984-1988: The running back averaged 21.2 yards on 99 kickoff returns. “Little Train” led the NFL with 43 kickoff returns and 959 kickoff-return yards as a rookie in 1984.
9. Irving Spikes, Alabama: 2,058 kickoff-return yards
Miami Dolphins 1994-1997: The running back averaged 23.1 yards on 89 kickoff returns. The longest kickoff return of his four NFL seasons covered 59 yards.
10. Brian Witherspoon, Choctaw County High School, Stillman: 1,890 kickoff-return yards
Jacksonville Jaguars 2008-2009, Detroit Lions 2009, New York Giants 2010: The cornerback averaged 23.6 yards on 80 kickoff returns. The longest kickoff return of his three NFL seasons covered 51 yards.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X@AMarkG1.
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