Alex McPherson gave Auburn the winning kick against No. 1 Georgia on Saturday. Afterward, coach Alex Golesh gave him the game ball, recognizing a player whose journey to that moment had included hospital stays, surgery and days when getting back on the football field was far from certain.
The Fort Payne native’s 34-yard field goal as time expired sealed the Tigers’ 27-24 victory in Athens. For Golesh, the celebration was also an opportunity to recognize what McPherson had overcome.
“That kid’s been on so many hospital beds to get to this moment. I’m so proud of him. Gave him the game ball,” Golesh said during his postgame press conference.
Two years earlier, McPherson’s health had become a much greater concern than his next kick.
During a battle with severe ulcerative colitis in 2024, his weight dropped to 110 pounds. He underwent major surgery that December, then faced another setback when he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in August 2025.
In a July interview with WAFF, McPherson described the uncertainty of trying to get well and the support he received from his wife, Hannah, and his family.
“Sometimes I thought I was back up and I was going to be fine and then it crashed right back down,” McPherson said. “It was definitely tough to have to go through that, but I had my wife and my family to really get me through that.”
For the McPherson family, football had long been part of life.
His oldest brother, Logan, played at Fort Payne before becoming a punter at Louisiana Tech. His brother Evan kicked at the University of Florida and now plays for the Cincinnati Bengals, who drafted him in 2021.
Alex followed them through Fort Payne’s football program. In 2021, he made a 61-yard field goal against North Jackson, setting the state record for a kick from a traditional snap and hold and surpassing Evan’s mark by one yard.
In a 2021 feature published by the Bengals, their father, LaDon McPherson, described how familiar the family name had become on the Wildcats’ special teams.
“It’s 12 straight years running one of the boys has been the kicker at Fort Payne,” he said.
That family tradition helped shape Alex’s football career. When illness interrupted it, he also found support within Auburn’s program.
As 256 Today previously reported, McPherson credited Auburn head athletic trainer Robbie Stewart with helping him find the medical care he needed. Stewart accompanied him to appointments and was there on the day of his surgery.
McPherson returned for the opening game of the 2025 season and finished the regular season making 20 of 23 field-goal attempts and all 35 extra points. His comeback earned him the Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award.
By the following summer, he said he was feeling stronger and had regained the weight he lost.
“I’m actually heavier than I was before I got sick,” McPherson told the station. “I think I’m stronger than I was before I got sick. I think we’re back to that range now.”
On Saturday, Auburn needed him twice to break a tie.
His 49-yard field goal gave the Tigers a 17-14 lead before halftime. After Auburn extended its advantage and Georgia came back to tie the score at 24, a late Bulldogs fumble gave the Tigers another opportunity.
McPherson finished it with the 34-yard kick, delivering Auburn’s first victory over Georgia since 2017.
Golesh’s praise afterward extended beyond the points on the scoreboard. He spoke about McPherson’s leadership, his preparation and the way he approached his teammates.
“He’s a leader. Man, couldn’t have happened to a better human being,” Golesh said.
For a player who had worked his way back from 110 pounds and repeated setbacks, the game ball recognized everything that came before the winning kick.
“But that’s how he practices. That’s how he prepares. That’s how he lives his life,” Golesh said. “He’s a special human being.”
Sherri Blevins is a reporter for 256 Today.
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