Alex McPherson has turned consistency into a calling card, and Auburn keeps finding ways to celebrate it. The kicker recently picked up the 2026 Live the Creed Award from the Elmore County Auburn Club, then added the 2025 Pat Sullivan Impact Award from the Birmingham Monday Morning Quarterback Club.
For McPherson, the recognition means more than trophies on a shelf. He said the chance to speak with families and kids who reach out to him has become part of what he values most about his role.
“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.”
On the field, McPherson has been just as steady. He ranks fourth in Auburn history with 50 career field goals and has made his last nine tries from inside 60 yards. His 87.7 percent career field goal rate is the best in program history.
That kind of reliability comes from a simple approach, he said: keep everything the same, no matter the moment.
“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.”
McPherson said he appreciates every chance to wear Auburn colors again, especially after the path that brought 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.”
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Auburns Arizona Loss May Have Changed Steven Pearls Rotation
Auburns 80-69 loss to Arizona did more than snap the nations best non-conference home winning streak. It also may have nudged Steven Pearl toward a different look in his rotation, with Thomas Dowd leading the Tigers in scoring and minutes while Owen Freeman logged important run during the most meaningful stretches of the game. Even in defeat, Auburn found some individual bright spots, but the overall performance was uneven enough to raise questions about how the frontcourt minutes should be distributed moving forward.
Foul trouble and shooting issues made the night harder to sort out than a typical early-season setback, and Arizona took advantage of the openings. For Auburn, the bigger takeaway may be less about the final margin than about which combinations held up when the game tightened, and which ones did not. Pearl now has a little more evidence to weigh as the Tigers move ahead, especially if he wants a rotation that can better survive the kind of pressure Arizona brought to Neville Arena. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Mississippi State Trip Just Got Tougher Before Early Kickoff
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Coach Alex Golesh addressed the challenge of getting his team ready for an 11 a.m. kickoff after an early morning ride, and for Auburn the focus now shifts to keeping the routine as normal as possible on a day that will not feel normal at all. There have been no indications the game will be postponed or canceled, so the Tigers are simply adjusting and moving forward with a tougher-than-expected travel day. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Showed Real Promise But One Problem Will Follow This Team
Auburn left plenty to like in its 80-69 loss to No. 12 Arizona, even if the final score still sent the Tigers home with their first blemish of the season. The defense was active and disruptive, piling up 13 blocks and 12 steals, and the bench gave the team a real lift with 34 points, nearly half of Auburns total.
The problem was the kind that can undo good stretches against quality opponents: turnovers, fouls and missed free throws. Auburn showed it can defend and get production beyond the starters, but until the Tigers clean up the mistakes that kept giving Arizona extra chances, the margin for error against ranked teams will stay thin. [Read more 🡒]