Auburn football star kicker Alex McPherson finally made his season debut Saturday against Kentucky. He returned to the field after recovering from a gastrointestinal illness.
The 22-year-old athlete began experiencing discomfort in the spring of this year. He missed seven games while taking care of his health issue this season.
Highlights
- Alex McPherson was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in spring 2024.
- It took quite a long time to diagnose the football player’s health issue.
- After working closely with medical professionals to manage his condition, the young athlete started gaining weight and resumed kicking practice in August.
Alex McPherson is a talented kicker for Auburn University’s football team. The Fort Payne, Alabama native is currently a redshirt sophomore.
Standing 5’9″, McPherson is known for his impressive high school career, during which he ranked second in AHSAA history for career field goals.
He joined Auburn University in 2019. The talented kicker made a mark. He became a Lou Groza Award semifinalist in 2023. He made 13 out of 13 field goals and all 40 extra points.
He also broke the school record for consecutive field goals, beating the record held by Daniel Carlson.
He missed a few games due to a recent health concern. However, he made a strong return, successfully kicking an extra point and a field goal during the game with Kentucky.
Alex McPherson Was Diagnosed With IBS In May
As reported by Auburn Rivals, McPherson began experiencing gastrointestinal issues during the early spring of 2024. At first, the player continued to practice through the discomfort.
However, his symptoms didn’t seem to ease and continued to persist. After that, he underwent additional testing in May, which finally led to a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
After battling a gastrointestinal illness throughout the season, Auburn football kicker Alex McPherson made his season debut vs Kentucky. https://t.co/8dXFzlcG8L
— MontgomeryAdvertiser (@MGMAdvertiser) October 27, 2024
Following that, Alex was scheduled to be seen by specialists at the university.
In July, UAB head coach Hugh Freeze described the issues as strange and related to gastrointestinal problems.
“Alex is battling an issue that it’s a weird issue and I really don’t want to go into that. He’s battling one. I think he’ll be OK.”
Hugh Freeze
Auburn Live also mentioned that McPherson lost some weight, but medication was helping at that time. His health issue turned out to be more complicated than initially thought.
The star kicker worked closely with medical professionals to manage his condition. In August, Auburn special teams coordinator Tanner Burns shared a positive update about Alex’s condition.
“It was a slow process to get him to where he’s at now, but I think he weighs a little over 140 now. So he’s gaining that weight, he’s starting to kick. Really kind of amping that up this week.”
Tanner Burns
Burns explained that health-wise, Alex had returned to his usual self. He added that there was a time when Alex would always say he was fine, regardless of how he really felt.
But now, they could see the personality they were used to from him showing up more and more. The Auburn kicker made his return against Kentucky on Saturday.
As per the Montgomery Advertiser, freshman Towns McGough handled kickoffs, but McPherson came in during the second quarter.
After a touchdown catch by KeAndre Lambert-Smith, the football player reportedly scored his first extra point of the season. He later made a field goal, his first since November 2023.
Additional Information
- Alex McPherson has two brothers, Logan McPherson, and Evan McPherson.
- Logan played football at Fort Payne High School and Later at Lousiana Tech. Evan is the current kicker for the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL.
- Alex McPherson’s parents are LaDon and Amber Norman McPherson.
