Hugh Freeze Heralds Return of Special Teams Standout

Last year, the Auburn Tigers uncharacteristically struggled with special teams. With kicker Alex McPherson stuck on the injured reserve due to gastrointestinal issues for the entire season, the Tigers were forced to turn to Towns McGough, who struggled immensely before being replaced by Ian Vachon, who also had a difficult time.

During SEC Media Days, Coach Freeze told the world that he believes the return of McPherson this year will make a significant difference for the Tigers.

“Our special teams [are] adding Alex back,” Freeze said, “who was 100% in field goals my first year. And that I think that's going to be another thing that helps us in those tight games.”

Alex, the brother of former LSU, now Bengals kicker Evan McPherson, was the natural continuance for the Tigers after the graduation of Anders Carlson, the brother of Daniel Carlson, another famous Auburn kicker known as “Legatron.”

For all its struggles, Auburn has seemingly always been strong in special teams, which is why the “Kicking Collapse of 2024,” as some call it, was such a shock to the system for many Auburn fans. Points were left on the table left, right, and center by new, inexperienced kickers– something McPherson should have less issue with.

Additionally, McPherson will likely serve as a valuable mentor for players like McGough, who became the butt of many jokes due to his abysmal kicking performances despite his five-star rating. Ideally, McPherson’s return will not only mean more kicking points for the Tigers this year, but also in the years to come.

All things said, though, McPherson is a kicker, and Auburn’s offense will be forced to get him in range (though his range is impressive) if they want to see the fruits of his labor.

Perhaps the most impressive part of this is how McPherson has been able to overcome his sickness from last year– the sophomore was often below 115 pounds, and even got as low as 110, but has scratched and clawed his way back up to 150, with a goal of 160.

"Without my family and my fiancée and all my teammates around me, I wouldn't be able to come back and kick this season, I don't think," McPherson said. "Just being able to come back this season, it's a blessing, for sure. I've got to thank God, as well. Without Him giving me the strength and the ability to gain the weight back as fast as I have. It just blows my mind how fast my body has been able to recover to be able to get back out there."

In his last healthy season in 2023, he nailed all of his 13 field goal attempts. Three were from between 40 and 49 yards and one was from beyond 50 yards.

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