Among the various challenges faced by Auburn football in 2024, the kicking game stood out as a significant issue.
The Tigers converted only 12 of their 22 field goal attempts last season, with Towns McGough—who started the season as the kicker—successful on just 5 of 12 attempts. He was thrust into the starting role at the beginning of the season due to Alex McPherson being sidelined with a gastrointestinal illness.
McPherson had been highly reliable in his previous two seasons at Auburn, making 14 of 15 field goals in 2022 and 2023. However, he only played in one game in 2024 because of his illness.
Ian Vachon, a transfer from Birmingham Southern, stepped in as the kicker for the last three games of the season, successfully converting 6 of 8 attempts, including a crucial game-tying field goal against Texas A&M that led to overtime, where Auburn secured a win.
Head coach Hugh Freeze mentioned during Senior Bowl practice that both McGough and Vachon would return in 2025, and he expressed hopes that McPherson would also be back after undergoing surgery, which the doctors deemed the “best option.”
“He’s definitely feeling better,” Freeze noted.
Auburn has also brought in former Southern Miss kicker Connor Gibbs from the transfer portal. Gibbs made 10 of 13 field goals in 2024, including a long of 59 yards. Despite Gibbs’ addition, Freeze stated that competition for the starting role would remain fierce.
“Hopefully, we’ll have healthy players competing for the spot,” Freeze said.
In 2025, Auburn will see changes at punter following the departures of both Oscar Chapman and backup Gabe Russo.
The Tigers have signed Hudson Kaak, a former punter from Oklahoma State, and freshman punter John Alan McGuire. Freeze is optimistic about McGuire’s potential but acknowledged the challenge of replacing Chapman’s reliability and output.
“John McGuire is a very talented kid too, so I believe we’ll be solid once again,” Freeze stated, “But Oscar was really good, so we’ll see how it plays out.”
Kaak, who is the frontrunner to be the starting punter, played for two seasons at Oklahoma State, averaging 41.2 yards per punt throughout his career there. His longest punt reached 54 yards, and he successfully downed 31 kicks inside the 20-yard line.
McGuire played at the prestigious Thompson High School in Alabama, where he fulfilled both punting and kicking responsibilities. He is ranked as the fifth-best punter in the nation for the 2025 class, according to Kohl’s Kicking Camps, a recruiting service that focuses on evaluating punters, kickers, and long snappers.
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