Advertisement
football Edit

McPherson perfect in last high school game

ORLANDO, Fla. | No matter if it’s warm, cold, raining or sunny, Evan McPherson gets a kick out of football – literally.

The nation’s No. 1-ranked kicker showed winning form in the 11th annual Under Armour All-American Game at Camping World Stadium, despite bitter cold, blustery conditions. He was a perfect 3-for-3 on extra-point kicks and had some booming kickoffs in Team Spotlight’s 23-21 loss to Team Highlight.

It was a nice sendoff before heading to Gainesville, where he is expected to replace Eddy Pineiro as UF’s starting kicker. Pineiro, who last fall led the nation in field-goal percentage (.944), recently declared for the NFL Draft and will not return to UF.

“I felt pretty good,” said McPherson with a smile after the game. “I stuck them. I thought I did good under the wind conditions. It was windy here.”

McPherson said he doesn’t see the kind of wind he played in Thursday back home in Fort Payne, Alabama. But he embraced the challenge and did well.

His perfect PAT performance capped a strong week for the 6-foot, 175-pound athlete. He went a perfect 7-for-7 in field goals, including a booming 55-yarder, on Tuesday to tie Seth Small of Katy, Texas (Texas A&M) for the Speed Kick championship.

“It was definitely a good experience,” McPherson said. “I had a great time with all the guys. I’d do it over again if I could.”

------

Thank you for reading this Inside the Gators article. To discuss it, please visit the Alligator Alley Forum.

Advertisement