The countdown to kickoff for the Auburn Tigers is now inside two weeks as Alex Golesh and his team have finished up preseason camp and head into a mock game week beginning on Monday.
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With all eyes set on the Baylor game on Sept. 5, the Tigers begin to formulate a gameplan for Dave Aranda’s squad, who want to get the 2026 season going with a bang.
The next day of the Impacting Auburn series by the Auburn Undercover staff is here with another athlete who could have an impact on Auburn’s performance.
As a disclaimer, the poll was tabulated by rankings sent in from four people on the Auburn Undercover staff—Tyler Raley, Ryan Bartow, Caleb Jones and Jay Douglas. The rankings each person sent in were averaged, with the lowest score going at the top of the list.
The No. 14 slot features a veteran of the program who has quite a story to tell. Kicker Alex McPherson is back to full strength, believing he has a lot of range to show on the field in 2026.
General information:
Year: Senior
Position: Kicker
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 165 pounds
Hometown: Fort Payne, Alabama
Performance in 2025:
McPherson finally returned to the gridiron fulltime in 2025 after a period of his career that was riddled with health issues that sidelined him.
While his leg was not entirely back where he wanted it to be, McPherson was able to go and gave the Tigers a fairly reliable outing when his number was called, appearing in all 12 games in the season.
McPherson had an 87-percent make rate on his field goal attempts last season, going 20-for-23, which included a 14-for-14 run in the final five games of the year.
The Fort Payne native’s most productive game of 2025 came in a 33-24 victory on the road over Arkansas, when McPherson notched a 6-for-6 outing, with his longest coming from 47 yards out. His longest field goal of the entire season came against Mercer, as he kicked one from 49 yards.
There was only one game where McPherson did not attempt a field goal, which was against Ball State in the opener. McPherson did however kick six extra points in the 42-3 win. He went 35-for-35 in extra points on the season.
Preseason camp intel:
McPherson was one of Auburn’s three player representatives at SEC Media Days in Tampa, Florida over the summer and was ultimately voted by the media as a Preseason Third Team All-SEC selection.
This year, McPherson has also been named to both the Lou Groza Award Watch List and the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, making him a leg to keep an eye on by many around the nation.
The kicker himself has stated that he feels comfortable in making a kick from 60 yards this season, which is a big step up from his long of 49 yards in 2025.
However, the Tigers’ special teams coordinator Jacob Bronowski echoed the confidence that McPherson has, not wavering in confidence during his session with the media in preseason camp.
“Depending on the day it might be a little longer,” Bronowski said. “He has earned that right. I’m a confident coach. I’m confident because of him.”
McPherson has been a full participant in his kicking drills throughout preseason camp and took some shorter range field goals in the two scrimmages the team had at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Only time will tell if the senior’s confidence will come to fruition, but if his time at SEC Media Days is any indication, Auburn’s kicking game has a chance to get back to the times of old with McPherson’s boot.
“I think I’m kicking as good as I have since before I got sick,” McPherson said. “It’s just really exciting getting to do that and play with the guys to the full extent.”
Impacting Auburn ranking
No. 14 - Alex McPherson
No. 15 - Cole Best
No. 16 - Eric Winters
No. 17 - AnQuon Fegans
No. 18 - Omar Mabson II
No. 19 - Jake Johnson
No. 20 - Sylvester Smith-Reed
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Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
