Position Group Preview: A look at Auburn’s specialists heading into the 2025 season originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Almost every facet of Auburn’s special teams play was subpar last season, but the kicking woes weighed heavily in the Tigers’ fourth straight losing season.
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With Alex McPherson sidelined for all but one game due to illness, it was up to freshman Towns McGough to take over field goal and kickoff duties. After going 7-for-7 on field goal attempts and winning A-Day Special Teams MVP – with a 58-yard game winner – McGough struggled as the Tigers’ main kicker during the season, converting on just 5-of-12 attempts on the year with an 0-for-5 mark from 50-plus yards.
Walk-on kicker Ian Vachon – who transferred this offseason to North Alabama – took over the last three games of the season and was 6-for-8 on field goal attempts, including a 41-yarder that sent the Tigers to overtime in their final home game against Texas A&M.
AUBURN, AL – NOVEMBER 18 – Auburn Kicker Alex McPherson (38).
But it’s a new dawn for the Tigers in 2025 with McPherson set to take over kicking duties once again. The 2023 Lou Groza Award semifinalist went through spring practices and Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze spoke positively of him throughout camp.
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“He looks good and has definitely gained more weight. He looks healthier and kicked the ball extremely well today,” Freeze said of McPherson during the spring.
McGough will remain as the Tigers’ next option as Freeze and special teams coach Chad Lunsford still remain confident in his potential. Southern Miss transfer Connor Gibbs will serve as another valuable backup option. Gibbs went 10-for-13 on field goals during 2024 with a long of 59 yards, and he can also handle kickoff duties.
Veteran punter Oscar Chapman – who set the Auburn program record with 245 punts and was fourth among Auburn punters with an average of 43.57 yards per punt – is no longer with the program after exhausting his eligibility. The Tigers replaced him with Hudson Kaak from Oklahoma State who averaged 43.13 yards on 30 punts in 2024, with a long kick of 51 yards and 11 punts that landed inside the 20.
John Alan McGuire will back up Kaak after a standout high school career at Thompson High (AL).
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Reed Hughes returns as a three-year starter at long snapper, and Keaton McNutt will return as a backup.
Related: Position Group Preview: A look at Auburn’s safeties heading into the 2025 season
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
