Evan McPherson (born July 21, 1999) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

before being drafted by the Bengals in the fifth round of the

2021 NFL Draft The 2021 NFL Draft was the 86th National Football League Draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 2021 ...

, the only kicker to be selected that year. During the Bengals' 2021 playoff run, McPherson tied

Adam Vinatieri Adam Matthew Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Considered one of the greatest kick ...

for most field goals made in a single postseason, with 14, and set the record for most postseason field goals made without any misses. Due to his clutch kicking, McPherson is nicknamed "Shooter" (after the ''

Happy Gilmore ''Happy Gilmore'' is a 1996 American sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and produced by Robert Simonds. It stars Adam Sandler as the title character, an unsuccessful ice hockey player who discovers a newfound talent for golf. The screenp ...

'' character of a similar nickname) and "Money Mac." He owns the Bengals franchise record longest field goal with a 59-yard field goal he made in 2022.

Early career

McPherson started his football career at Fort Payne High School in

Fort Payne, Alabama Fort Payne is a city in and county seat of DeKalb County, in northeastern Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 14,877. European-American settlers gradually developed the settlement around the former fort. It grew rapid ...

, where he spent four seasons as the team's kicker and punter. At Fort Payne, he made a 60-yard field goal and an 84-yard punt, both kicks being one yard short of the Alabama High School record. He also made the first-team All-State in 2017. McPherson went on to play

from 2018–2020 before choosing to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft. At Florida, McPherson was 51-of-60 (85.0%) on field goals, setting a

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

record for career field goal percentage (minimum 50 attempts), and 149-of-150 on extra points. He made 5 of 8 career field goal attempts from at least 50 yards. In his three seasons with the Gators, the team recorded a 29-9 record and a 2-1 record in bowl games, including an

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...

win in 2019. McPherson made all three of his field goal attempts in that game, the longest from 49 yards. At the time he left Florida, his career field goal percentage ranked 12th in NCAA history.

Professional career

McPherson was drafted by the

in the fifth round, 149th overall, of the

. He signed his four-year rookie contract with the Bengals on May 17, 2021.

2021

McPherson was a perfect 5/5 on field goals during the Bengals' three 2021 preseason games, including a 57-yard kick. At the end of the pre-season, the Bengals released their only other kicker on the roster,

Austin Seibert Austin Seibert (born November 15, 1996) is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Oklahoma and was selected in fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. Early years Seibert atten ...

, and named McPherson the starter for the 2021 regular season. McPherson became the first player from Fort Payne High School ever to play in an NFL regular season game. McPherson made his first regular-season field goal attempt, a 53-yarder, in the season-opener against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

on September 12, 2021. During overtime, McPherson kicked a 33-yard game-winning field goal to secure a 27–24 win, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. On November 21, McPherson tied an NFL record by making three field goals from over 50 yards in one game, going 4/4 on kicks from 54, 53, 51, and 47 yards in a 32–13 win over the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...

, securing his second AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award in the process. He also set the franchise record for most 50-yard field goals made in a season, breaking the old record of 4 set by

Horst Muhlmann Horst may refer to: Science * Horst (geology), a raised fault block bounded by normal faults or graben People * Horst (given name) * Horst (surname) * ter Horst, Dutch surname * van der Horst, Dutch surname Places Settlements Germany * Horst, ...

in 1970. On December 19, McPherson set the franchise record for longest field goal for the Bengals with a 58-yard kick against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

. McPherson finished the season 28-of-33 on field goal attempts (84.8%), including being 9-of-11 on field goals (81.8%) from 50+ yards. In the Bengals' Wild Card game against the

, McPherson was 4-of-4 on field goals, assisting the team to a 26–19 victory that gave them their first postseason win in 31 years. Subsequently, in the Divisional Round game, he again made 4-of-4 field goals, including two from over 50 yards. His 52-yard field goal as time expired gave the Bengals a 19–16 win over the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

to send them to their first

AFC Championship Game The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...

since 1988. McPherson also became the first kicker in NFL history to kick at least 4 field goals in multiple games during the same postseason. In the AFC Championship Game against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

, McPherson was again 4-of-4 on his field goal attempts, including a game winning 31-yard field goal in overtime in the 27–24 win, advancing the Bengals to

Super Bowl LVI Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Los Angeles Rams defeated the American Football Conference ...

, where he kicked two more field goals in the 23-20 loss. McPherson's 14-of-14 playoff field goals set the record for most field goals made by a rookie, as well as ties the all-time record for most field goals made in a single postseason. His 12 combined 50+ yard field goals in the regular season and playoffs also set the NFL record for most combined regular season and postseason 50+ yard field goals made by one player in a single season.

2022

In the Bengals season opening game against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

, McPherson set a franchise record for longest field goal with 59 yards. However, after an injury to long snapper

Clark Harris Clark Harris (born July 10, 1984) is an American football long snapper who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers. Harris played for the Detro ...

, McPherson had a potential game-winning extra point blocked and missed a 29-yard field goal in overtime, leading to a 23-20 loss. In Week 4, McPherson converted both field goal attempts and all three extra points in a 27-15 win over the Miami Dolphins, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In week 6, McPherson kicked a 52-yard field goal in the Bengals 30-26 win over the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

NFL career statistics

Regular season

, - ! style="text-align:center;",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

! style="text-align:center;", CIN , 16 , , 28 , , 33 , , 84.8% , , 0 , , 58 , , 46 , , 48 , , 95.8% , , 91 , , 63.9 , , 55 , , 130 , - ! style="text-align:center;",

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

! style="text-align:center;", CIN , 9 , , 19 , , 23, , 73.3% , , 0 , , 59 , , 23 , , 25 , , 92.0% , , 49 , , 62.6 , , 37 , , 56 , - , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan="2"
Career
, , 25 , , 39 , , 48 , , 81.3% , , 0 , , 59 , , 69 , , 73 , , 94.5% , , 140 , , 63.3 , , 92 , , 186

Postseason

, - ! style="text-align:center;",

! style="text-align:center;", CIN , 4 , , style="background:#e0cef2; width:3em;", 14 , , 14 , , 100.0% , , 0 , , 54 , , 6 , , 6 , , 100.0% , , 24 , , 64.5 , , 16 , , 48 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan="2"
Career
, , 4 , , 14 , , 14 , , 100.0% , , 0 , , 54 , , 6 , , 6 , , 100.0% , , 24 , , 64.5 , , 16 , , 48

Personal life

McPherson is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. McPherson is married to Gracie Groat. McPherson's older brother Logan was also an all-state kicker for Fort Payne High School and went on to play as a punter for

Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activ ...

. His younger brother Alex made an All-State as a kicker with Fort Payne in 2019, and as a punter in 2020. In 2021, Alex announced his commitment to attend

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

. Alex was the highest-ranked kicker in the 2022 class.

References

External links

Cincinnati Bengals bioFlorida Gators bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:McPherson, Evan 1999 births Living people American football placekickers Cincinnati Bengals players Florida Gators football players People from Fort Payne, Alabama Players of American football from Alabama