Auburn kicker Alex McPherson watched the ball sail through the uprights for the sixth time in his team’s road win over Arkansas on Saturday. The six field goals tied a single-game school and conference record.
In a way, each made kick was like it’s own moment of redemption.
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A week prior, McPherson — the younger brother of Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson — missed three kicks in Auburn’s overtime loss to Missouri. He bore the blame for the loss.
“You know, he was the first one in my office Monday to say, ‘I’m sorry, Coach. I lost that game for you,'” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said after the win over Arkansas. “I said, ‘Dude, I believe in you. You’re going to make the next one,’ and he ties the school record today with six [field goals], so what a redemption story that is, and I’m so thrilled for him.”
After each kick, McPherson points upward as a gesture to thank Jesus. That didn’t sit well with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who tweeted during the Auburn-Missouri game, “This bothers me. You shouldn’t be allowed to pretend you hit a FG when you missed you [sic] 19th chip shot of the game. #Auburn.”
Portnoy also sounded off on McPherson on his podcast. McPherson was asked after Saturday’s game if he saw Portnoy’s comments, and he had in fact seen them.
“All I’m going to say is I praise the Lord whenever I miss and whenever I make,” he told the media. “You praise Him in the highs as well as the lows. You don’t praise Him in one moment. You praise Him in all moments. That’s what I’m going to continue to do. God’s got me. He’s got my back. He’s the reason I’m back on that field and I’ve got to praise Him no matter what.”
To some, public scrutiny like that from a popular media figure may feel unfair and like a tough battle to fight, especially for someone with McPherson’s track record. After all, he didn’t miss a single kick in 2023.
But McPherson has endured far worse.
This season, those kicks he’s made — and missed — he did so while wearing an ostomy bag. In 2024, McPherson’s promising career nearly came to a halt when he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease that sidelined him for nearly the entire season.
Toward the end of 2023, as Auburn prepared to play a bowl game against Maryland, he started to feel ill. He lost weight rapidly, dropping from 160 pounds to 110, and was growing weaker. The illness required major surgery to remove his large intestine — a grueling recovery that tested him physically, emotionally and spiritually. He said that surgery saved his life.
“I wouldn’t be here or playing football again without the surgery,” he told the Montgomery Advertiser. “I think it was definitely the right decision for me and my family. I’m glad I did it.”
But he knows that his football future is not guaranteed.
“[If] I’m not able to go out there and do my best, I’ll give it up,” he said.
Of the six kicks he made against Arkansas, two were over 40 yards, including a 47-yarder late in the fourth quarter. He then iced the game with a short kick in the final minute.
“Oh yeah, that was nice being able to finally go out there and knock those down,” McPherson said after the game. “Like last week I think I was just a 40, that was my longest kick. So it was awesome. Being able to go out there and do it for my team really is all I was thinking about and so the distance wasn’t really a problem today. I was hitting the ball good and it was awesome.”
For his efforts against Arkansas, McPherson was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week.
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While some may only see McPherson for what he does or doesn’t do on Saturdays, those who know his story appreciate everything about him and his ability to make it back on the field. Perhaps no one is a bigger fan than his brother.
“Through all the trials of life, I think our faith has to get stronger,” Evan said earlier this month. “We are always told that God won’t put us through anything we can’t handle, and I think Alex is a perfect example of that.
“… He had to learn how to handle it spiritually, physically and mentally. He did a great job of learning about it and not looking at it as a hindrance. Seeing his resilience and putting things in perspective is key. It can all be gone tomorrow or in a blink of an eye.”
Alex and the Tigers are back at home this week, taking on Kentucky at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday.
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