Evan McPherson is the Coolest Player in the NFL…And He’s A Kicker

Evan McPherson was always an anomaly. During his high school career, he nearly set several statewide high school kicking records in his home town of Fort Payne, Alabama. He was recruited by Florida and spent his entire college career in Gainesville before opting out of his senior season to enter the NFL Draft. At Florida, he went 51-60 and set an SEC record for field goal percentage. Evan McPherson decided to forego his senior season at Florida to enter the NFL draft. Now 22 years old, McPherson has aided his team’s historic Super Bowl run. He became the only kicker drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft with his fifth round selection. The Bengal’s have faced some kicking struggles in recent seasons and McPherson was a perfect addition to this young Bengal’s squad. McPherson, nicknamed “Money Mac,” hit a 52 yard field goal to defeat the Titans in Nashville in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Later, he hit a 31 yarder to send the Bengals to the Superbowl this past week. McPherson has had a perfect run on field goals this postseason, hitting twelve in a row. Kickers aren’t usually well known players, much less fan favorites, but McPherson has completely rewritten that narrative. Just before kicking the game winning field goal in the divisional Playoff game, Bengals quarterback, Joe Burrow, famously quotes McPherson saying, “Welp, it’s time to go to the AFC Championship game.” McPherson then casually walked onto the field and nailed an incredibly hard kick in a high pressure situation. This incredible swagger is rarely seen by a kicker and that’s the reason the Bengal’s fanbase has fallen in love with him. A kid that is just barely old enough to legally drink, send an NFL franchise to their first AFC Championship game in 34 years is extremely noteworthy. Not to mention that his kick tied Adam Veternari’s record for most games with four or more field goals by a kicker in a single postseason ever. He is also the only player in NFL history to enter the Super Bowl with forty points. McPherson is setting records left and right, and winning games while he’s at it. 

Prior to this year, the Bengals hadn’t won a playoff game in over thirty years. This year’s magical Super Bowl run can be widely attributed to McPherson’s composed kicking. On Sunday, February 13, the Bengals will face off with the Rams and McPherson’s leg may end up being the deciding factor.

By Sawyer Sugarman