On the Plains with Alex McPherson: 'It was all worth it'

AUBURN, Ala. – Twenty-three pounds heavier than he was at the end of last season, Alex McPherson sees only one drawback to his bulk-up. 

“None of my dress pants fit anymore,” said McPherson, listed 5-foot-9, 165 pounds. “My waist is still small. It’s my thighs and my calves. It was like I was wearing skinny jeans up there.”

Bigger thighs and calves come in handy for a kicker.  

“My kicking is a little bit of that and a little bit of speed,” McPherson said. “Those things combine to help me kick the ball.”

The youngest of three boys, Alex and middle brother Evan followed in the cleats of oldest brother Logan, an all-state punter and kicker at Fort Payne High School in northeast Alabama.

“Our oldest brother is actually the one who started all of it,” Alex said. “He started kicking in high school, Evan started kicking in sixth grade and I started kicking in fourth grade. We just wanted to do what he was doing.”

Logan punted and was a holder at Louisiana Tech. Evan starred at Florida and is entering his sixth season with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals. 

“Evan and I thought, if he could do it, why not us?” said Alex, who also played soccer growing up. “He paved the way for Evan, and now Evan for me.

“I started kicking when I was 10 and I’ve been kicking ever since. Learning at that young of an age, you know what you’re doing. Now it’s second nature. I still learn things to this day but it’s fun to tweak some things here and there.”

McPherson debuted at Auburn at the end of the 2022 season and enjoyed a perfect redshirt freshman season in 2023, making every field goal and extra point attempt while becoming a Lou Groza Award semifinalist and setting the program record with 20 consecutive field goals. 

Limited to only one game in 2024 by gastrointestinal issues that caused alarming weight loss and required surgery, McPherson returned last season, making 20 of 23 field goal attempts and inspiring many, especially young fans battling illness. 

“It means a lot,” he said. “I’ve always said if I had to go through everything I had to go through to inspire one person or be an encouragement or an inspiration for somebody, then it was all worth it.

“What I went through definitely wasn’t easy but at the same time, it makes it all worth it if I can help somebody else.”

McPherson won the 2026 Live the Creed Award from the Elmore County Auburn Club and received the 2025 Pat Sullivan Impact Award from the Birmingham Monday Morning Quarterback Club. 

“It gives me gratitude to represent them,” McPherson said. “I’ve had so many parents reach out to me and ask if I can talk to their kid and I’ve done those things because if I can help somebody who’s going through it and make them believe that it’s going to get better, because it is. There’s always good in the bad. 

“I try to tell them no matter how bad it looks, it’s always going to get better. It’s awesome to be that resource for them and be there for them.”

At SEC Media Days, Auburn head coach Alex Golesh lauded McPherson for his determination to join his teammates in every conditioning drill.

“I knew it was an important offseason,” McPherson said. “I felt like I needed to get stronger and bigger and get back to where I was before I was sick. They tried to pull me out of some things and I was like, it’s okay, I think I can do it.

“But at the same time, they’ve taken care of me whenever I did need to pull out, they allowed that. They’ve been great supporting my condition. I’m not a normal athlete by any means but they’ve done great handling with me.”

Heading into his senior season, McPherson’s 88.9 career field goal percentage is the highest in Auburn history.

“I try to keep every kick the same,” McPherson said. “I don’t get too high, get too low. I’m excited to go out there and kick. I feel all the emotions. I’ve kicked that 45-yard field goal thousands and thousands of times so it’s not any different. Obviously, the moment’s bigger, but in the moment, you’re not thinking about that. I just think about, let’s execute this kick. 

“If I can be an extension of the offense and keep the momentum going for them, you don’t want to stall out but if I can give us points or if I’m kicking PATs, that’s really my only job. My job is to make the offense look good and score points. That’s what I take pride in.”

Before McPherson departed the Plains for Tampa with Golesh, quarterback Byrum Brown and defensive back Champ Anthony, he kicked a 60-yarder in practice.

“I think I'm kicking as good as I have since before I got sick,” said McPherson, the only specialist selected to attend SEC Media Days. “It's exciting getting to do that and play with the guys to the full extent.”

When he’s not practicing kicking, McPherson unwinds by playing golf.  

“I love golf,” said McPherson, who played three times a week during the offseason and shoots in the mid-70s. “It’s my getaway. You need one in a position like ours. It’s high intensity at all time and if you can have that kind of escape, it’s awesome.” 

Golf and kicking, says Alex, are similar. 

“The swinging motion,” he said. “You go in to out, you’re hitting a draw. If you go out to in, you hit a cut. In kicking it’s the same way. If your ball contact is good, the ball’s going to go. Same thing in golf. 

“And the mental side of it. Kicking is all mental. You’re out there by yourself, and golf’s the same thing. It’s like you’re practicing but not on the football field, and I enjoy it.”

Inspirational and dependable, Alex McPherson eagerly awaits his final season at Auburn, thankful for the broken road that led him back to Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“I try to look around the entire stadium as I run out, and there's just nothing like it, whether it's a night game or it's an 11 o’clock game,” he said. “We have the stands packed and Auburn fans are one of a kind. It's just an unreal feeling.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer