Alex McPherson didn't follow in his brother Evan's footsteps. The Fort Payne, Alabama, native committed to the Auburn Tigers instead of committing to the Florida Gators. Whether that's paid off is in the eye of the beholder.
McPherson has struggled with his health on the Plains. After a brilliant 2023 season where he never missed a kick, be it a field goal or an extra point, McPherson battled ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease and had surgery to remove his large intestine. McPherson still has to wear a colostomy bag to perform.
McPherson wears it with pride, though. His recovery has been a major rallying cry for Tiger fans, and as he enters the 2026 season, his last at Auburn, McPherson has been chosen to represent the program at SEC Media Days in Tampa.
Some believe it's a joke, however, like OnTexasFootball's CJ Vogel. While Vogel takes advantage of every possible chance to troll other SEC teams, with the Texas A&M Aggies obviously being the most targeted, he misfired on McPherson when he said, "Can't wait to hear from the kicker. Exciting stuff, Auburn."
It is exciting stuff. Not only has McPherson stared down the end of his playing career and defied it, despite harsh medical diagnoses and procedures, he has also seen everything at AU.
Kickers are rarely the hero but almost always the scapegoat. McPherson went 20/23 on FGs and 35/35 on extra point attempts in 2025, but the program was too dysfunctional for him to get his shine. Still, it was a major step up from Towns McGough going 5/12 and Ian Vachon going 6/8 in McPherson's stead during the 2024 season.
McPherson has been there and done that. And, as previously mentioned, he's seen it all in Lee County, Alabama.
Alex McPherson can tell Auburn's story in the NIL era better than anyone
Let us not forget that McPherson committed to the Tigers in July 2021. The last season he saw before committing was Gus Malzahn's underwhelming swan song in 2020. McPherson kept his commitment despite seeing everything fall apart under Bryan Harsin during the 2021 season. He stayed despite the controversies that engulfed Harsin's 2022 offseason.
McPherson survived the Harsin-to-Hugh Freeze transition, starting as a starring piece under Freeze and losing his spot due to his health issues. Now, he's sticking around for one more year -- though he could potentially apply for a medical waiver for the 2024 season, if the five-seasons-in-five-years rules don't eliminate that chance -- and sticking it out with his third coach, Alex Golesh.
If there's anyone who has interesting things to say at a media event, it's McPherson. No one could talk about what the difference would be under Golesh like McPherson. No one could speak to what was wrong in Auburn for so long like McPherson.
McPherson is an Alabama native who's played almost the entirety of the NIL era, much of it with serious medical issues, and who's on his third coach. That sounds like one of the most interesting press conference subjects from the Tigers who could've been chosen.
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