Auburn Man: Kicker Alex McPherson comes up clutch

AUBURN, Ala. – With an SEC victory on the line, Auburn coach Alex Golesh trusted Alex McPherson Saturday to make it happen. 

“I think there were 89,000 people who thought he was going to make it,” Golesh said.

Make it, McPherson did. A 43-yarder with 33 seconds left to clinch Auburn’s 26-23 win over Arkansas.

“He’s shown this Auburn family for a long time that he’s one of the toughest human beings in this program,” Golesh said. “Not fazed by anything.” 

It was McPherson’s second game-winner of the season, following his 34-yard kick as time expired to help Auburn knock off No. 1 Georgia 27-24 in Athens in October. 

“I’m so proud of him,” special teams coordinator Jacob Bronowski said. “You couldn’t ask for a better person.”

McPherson picked an excellent time for his first walk-off kick, earning Auburn a rivalry road victory.

“When they turned it over, I knew my guys were going to get me into range,” McPherson said. “Just go out and execute and have their back. Hudson Powell and Hudson Kaak did a great job, great snap and hold. Our entire line did a great job and made my job pretty easy. I was able to put it through, and I couldn’t be happier to do it for the team and for this university.”

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

“None of my dress pants fit anymore,” said McPherson, listed 5-foot-9, 165 pounds, said at SEC Media Days in Tampa, Florida. “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 in 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.”

McPherson, who ranks fourth in program history with 50 career field goals, has connected on his last nine attempts inside of 60 yards. His 87.7 percent career field goal success rate ranks as the best in program 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.”

Inspirational and dependable, Alex McPherson embraces each opportunity to represent 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