Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544053
3 0 A P R I L 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M B y December, defensive end Al- exander McPherson had made up his mind. One year into his career at Colorado, the former Rivals Industry Ranking three-star pros- pect from Stuart, Fla., would play else- where in 2026. McPherson's decision to enter the transfer portal was announced Dec. 19 via reports on social media. Eighteen days later, he made a second decision. Having sorted through his potential landing spots in short order, he chose to continue his playing career under head coach Matt Campbell at Penn State. "It was crazy," McPherson told report- ers at his first public appearance as a Nit- tany Lion. "I'm sure you guys know the portal goes like that. You really have to be comfortable with the decision you make, and this is where I felt most comfortable coming and starting a new chapter. This was my only visit. I decided in 48 hours." Taking in the university, the football program and the surrounding com- munity the first weekend in January, McPherson discovered during his trip to State College that the reality matched his preconceptions. He found a welcom- ing environment in a pure college town where he would be given the opportunity to focus on football. In addition, he saw the kind of leadership from Campbell and his staff that he was seeking. Sur- veying people who had been with Camp- bell — whether as players or colleagues of the newly hired Penn State head coach — he got an abundance of positive feed- back. Prior to checking out the Nittany Li- ons, McPherson had been considering a possible trip to Ole Miss. But by the time he left State College, he felt confident that he had seen enough to make a deci- sion. "At the end of the day, I felt like this was home because of the culture," he said. "I had heard nothing but good things about Coach Campbell." A Rising Star The good vibes were entirely mutual. If McPherson was pleased to find a land- ing spot, the Nittany Lions were happy to have a promising sophomore edge rusher in the fold to help fill the void left behind by the loss of last season's two starting defensive ends, Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zuriah Fisher. As a prep prospect, McPherson had transferred from Martin County (Fla.) High to IMG Academy ahead of his junior year. He played in just one game that first McPherson was a third-team defensive end when he entered preseason camp at Colorado last year, but he ended up playing the fourth-most snaps of any edge rusher on the Buffaloes' roster. PHOTO BY TONY HARMAN/COLORADO ATHLETICS FIT CHECK Alexander McPherson finds a new home on PSU's overhauled defensive front NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M