Alex McPherson Takes Official Visit to Florida, Updates Recruitment
Photo credit: University of Florida Athletics Association
The Florida Gators aren't quite done with McPherson after all. While the elder brother and former Gator, Evan McPherson, has made his way to the NFL, Alex McPherson is just starting his journey into college football, a part of the 2022 recruiting class.
Taking an official visit to the University of Florida this past weekend, the idea of joining such a familiar school is intriguing, but being able to actually meet with coaches in person was what McPherson took most from his visit to Gainesville.
"It's different because it's just like, you can build a genuine relationship instead of, you're on a computer screen, you're just talking to each other. It's genuine, now," McPherson said on Sunday.
"It's just a breath of fresh air, getting to see people in person and getting to build relationships and person instead of over a computer screen."
McPherson, rated as the No. 1 kicker in this year's recruiting class, is currently being pursued by plenty of SEC programs, including Florida, Auburn and Georgia.
He will take one final visit to Georgia on June 25 after having visited Auburn (June 4.), Texas A&M (June 11) and of course Florida this past weekend.
While Alex certainly has strong ties to the University of Florida, he hasn't felt compelled to join the program simply because of that. The pressure, or lack thereof, is refreshing and allows him to feel more comfortable during his recruiting process.
"They're not pushing me to come here," McPherson said of Florida's pitch to him over the weekend. "They're not pressuring me to come here. It's all about where I feel at home that and if that's here, it's here. You know, so, they're big on for what's best for me."
His brother, Evan, was selected in the fifth round of this year's draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He would be one of the best kickers in Florida history, connecting on 149 out of 150 of his extra points, while nailing 51 out of 60 of his field goals over the past three seasons.
Still, it doesn't appear that Florida is using Evan nor his success at the university to push Alex into joining the program. That much has left the younger McPherson feeling at home.
"It definitely makes you feel at home, instead of them pushing you somewhere, it makes you feel like they genuinely want you there and that they like they hope you come but they're not going to force you to," he said.
At Florida, McPherson would enter the program as the only placekicker on scholarship, putting his position to play earlier in an upwards trajectory. While he wasn't promised the starting job in year 1 at the university, he did say Florida would allow him to compete for the starting position, something that should be expected.
"I mean, not that I would come in and start but I'll have to compete for it like anybody else," McPherson said of what Florida coaches told him over the weekend. "But the plan is for me to, not come in and start, but come in to compete for the starting job. That's what they said to me."
Currently, McPherson is being recruited by Florida special teams and running backs coach Greg Knox along with Shayne Graham, the team's special teams quality control assistant, McPherson was able to further develop his relationship with Graham over the weekend.
As far as his commitment to any school is concerned, McPherson isn't set to make his intentions known until sometime in July. Until then, there is currently no leader for his services, including Auburn who has been noted as a strong favorite in the past.
Perhaps Florida will land yet another McPherson, something that head coach Dan Mullen would certainly be happy about.