Of Auburn football’s many problems in 2024, one glaring issue was kicking.

The Tigers made just 12 of 22 attempted field goals last season, with Towns McGough — Auburn’s starter to begin the season — making just 5 of his 12 attempts. He unexpectedly took the starting role when the season began due to Alex McPherson missing time with a gastrointestinal illness.

McPherson was almost automatic in his previous two seasons with Auburn, making 14 of 15 field goals in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He only appeared in one game in 2024, though, due to the illness.

Former Birmingham Southern transfer Ian Vachon took over kicking duties for the final three games of the season, going 6-for-8, including a game-tying field goal at the end of regulation against Texas A&M, sending the game to overtime where Auburn eventually won.

Hugh Freeze said at Senior Bowl practice Wednesday that both McGough and Vachon will be back in 2025, and he’s “prayerful and hopeful” that McPherson will also return. Freeze said McPherson underwent surgery, a decision that Freeze said the doctors felt like was “the best option.”

“There’s no question he’s feeling better,” Freeze said.

Auburn also added former Southern Miss kicker Connor Gibbs out of the transfer portal. Gibbs went 10-for-13 on field goals in 2024, including a long of 59. Despite his addition to the room, Freeze said there will be competition for the starting spot.

“Hopefully we’ll have healthy bodies that’ll battle it out and see,” Freeze said.

Auburn will have a completely new look at punter in 2025, after the departures of both Oscar Chapman and backup punter Gabe Russo.

The Tigers signed former Oklahoma State punter Hudson Kaak out of the transfer portal, along with freshman punter John Alan McGuire. Freeze was optimistic about McGuire, but mentioned the difficulty of replacing Chapman’s consistency and production.

“John McGuire is a very talented kid also, so, I think we’re gonna be solid again,” Freeze said, “But Oscar was really good, and so we’ll see what happens there.”

Kaak, the most likely immediate starter, spent two seasons in Stillwater, averaging 41.2 yards per punt over the course of his Oklahoma State career. His longest career punt is 54 yards and has had 31 downed inside the 20-yard line.

McGuire played high school football at in-state powerhouse Thompson High School, where he handled both punting and kicking duties. He is the fifth-ranked punter in the country for the 2025 class, according to Kohl’s Kicking Camps, a recruiting service that specializes in rating punters, kickers and long snappers.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m