“People don’t realize, kicking is really mental. The stress, you know, it definitely prepared me for what has happened,” says Auburn’s Alex McPherson. Hugh Freeze kicked off his 2025 season on 29th August. But this time, the Tigers’ faithful were looking for something more. Something far more emotional that glued the fans together was witnessing Alex’s tragic health issues and his conquering them all. An emotional Alex gets teary-eyed after two years of challenging times; he is back on the turf, making some noise.
It was Alex’s 22nd birthday, when he would be back on the field. Against Baylor, he went full throttle, scoring eight points for his roster, going five-for-five on extra points, and drilling an extra field goal, leading his team to a dominant 38-24 victory. A teary-eyed Alex called out, “We finally did it. We finally got back out on this field. We finally did it,” he said per ESPN College Football.
Alex’s journey over the past two years has been nothing short of grit and resilience. Back in 2023, Alex was rolling as a kicker. At the height of his career, the 150-pound kicker won the 2023 All-SEC kicker and more. He didn’t miss a single kick. He completed 13 for 13 on field goals and 40 for 40 on PATs. But his health started to dwindle. “That week, I was just really sick. I would run to the bathroom 15 to 20 times a day. I thought I just had the flu, you know, thought I had a stomach bug or something going on,” McPherson said.
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And it showed. “My weight was down. I lost 20 pounds,” he added. Back in April last year, he faced the unexpected. After a colonoscopy, he found that he was suffering from ulcerative Colitis, an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and ulcers on the inner lining of the large intestine, according to the National Institutes of Health.
By the time he was hospitalized, he weighed 110 pounds. “Why me? Why am I having to go through this?” Alex McPherson asked. Even before he was wheeled to the surgery, he was concerned about his career. He asked the nurse. “Hey, do you think it would be like, messing with it if I’m kicking?” Since high school, Alex had been breaking records. His 61-yard field goal is the longest recorded kick in the State of Alabama. But at the end of the day, he said, “I’m glad I did it.” He was soon back to kicking again, but another health setback came crashing down.
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Alex McPherson stayed strong in the face of adversity
By the end of the spring this year, he had been rolling, but another health concern came crashing down. “Why is this happening again?” asked Alex, who had again lost 30 lbs. This time, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. A chronic inflammatory disease that affects the entire digestive tract. The doctors found him a treatment, and he is steadily progressing.
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“I may not be the biggest right now, but I feel okay. I was just so excited for the season to see what I could do,” he lets out his emotions. Auburn stood beside him, through his struggles and into his recovery, and his optimism is peaking bright from the hazy clouds of uncertainty that took over Alex. He is on his way to becoming his best self again. “We feel that way,” head coach Hugh Freeze said.