A lot can change in one week.
For Auburn’s Alex McPherson, Saturday was a day to remember as the Fort Payne, Alabama, native kicked a school-tying six field goals in the team’s 33-24 win over Arkansas.
Just seven days earlier, the Tigers lost to Missouri in double overtime – a defeat that included three missed field goals by Alex, who is usually highly accurate.
Moments after that loss, Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy took issue with McPherson’s habit of pointing to Heaven after each kick.
“This bothers me,” Portnoy wrote. “You shouldn’t be allowed to pretend you hit a Fg when you missed your 19th chip shot of the game.”
What the internet sports guru didn’t seem to know was that McPherson had spent months last year dealing with major medical problems – including the removal of his large intestine. He was throwing up every day for two months. Initially diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, Alex lost 55 pounds before doctors took action to save his life. He was down to 110 pounds.
As a result of the surgery in December of 2024, he was outfitted with a colostomy bag, which was deliberately placed on his left side to not interfere with his kicking leg.
“My small intestine sticks out of my stomach,” Alex revealed. “The whole entire time I was going through this, I thought, ‘I’m getting better so I can play football.’”
He did get better – but then another setback struck this past August when he lost 30 pounds and was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease – a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Once more, he fought back into playing shape.
After getting strafed on social media for the poor performance against Missouri, how did Alex respond to Portnoy?
He wrote, “All I’m gonna say is I praise the Lord whenever I miss and whenever I make. You praise Him in the highs as well as the lows. That’s what I’m going to continue to do. He’s the reason I’m back on that field.”
Raised in a Christian home with two brothers, Alex and his family attended First Baptist Church in Fort Payne. He was in the seventh grade in youth group when he met Hannah, who is now his wife.
Hannah told the journalist Rick Karle, “Having full faith in His perfect plan has made Alex’s latest sickness so much less burdening on us. It can be so hard to see any good coming from situations like these, but we have seen Alex’s story inspire others and our relationship with God grow.”
Evan McPherson, Alex’s brother, kicked for the University of Florida and now kicks for the Cincinnati Bengals.
“You can’t have a testimony without a test,” Alex told Karle. “I knew that God would never give up on me. I just had to trust Him.”
On Saturday, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said McPherson is the kind of player you want on your team.
“He’s the first one in my office Monday to say ‘I’m sorry. Coach I lost that game for you.’ I said ‘Dude I believe in you. You’ll make the next one,’” Freeze said while fighting back tears. “Then he ties the school record today with 6, so what a redemption story that is. I’m thrilled for him.”
Saturday’s win broke a four-game losing streak for Auburn. At 4-4 on the season, the team’s fate hangs in the balance – but Alex McPherson’s assurance in how to manage whatever comes next leaves him in a position of strength.
“I have always believed God is with me,” he said.
Image credit: Amber McPherson
