Former Florida star Evan McPherson's jersey sales soar after walk-off kick

Cincinnati Bengals kicker and former Florida star Evan McPherson has become a franchise icon after his clutch performances throughout the season and confidence before and after hitting a game-winner against the Tennessee Titans.

As his status as a hero grows, Evan McPherson’s jersey has become a hot commodity. According to Front Office Sports, the Cincinnati Bengals have sold out indefinitely of No. 2 jerseys at the official pro shop.

McPherson was the only kicker taken in the 2021 NFL Draft, a fact the Bengals are very proud of at this point. Cincinnati took him with pick No. 149 in the fifth round. Now his jersey sales have reached a status few kickers in NFL history ever have before.

Evan McPherson explains confidence

Evan McPherson came out of Saturday’s playoff game as the unlikely hero for the Cincinnati Bengals. The rookie finished a perfect 4-for-4 on his field goal attempts, including the 52-yard game-winner as time expired.

Quarterback Joe Burrow said McPherson did a couple of warm up kicks before the game-winner, then turned to backup quarterback Brandon Allen and told him: “Well, looks like we’re going to the AFC Championship Game.”

During his three years with the Gators, he hit on 85% of his field-goal attempts, going 51-of-60 overall. He also made 94.5% of his boots inside 40 yards during his career. That success, along with a solid record this season, made him confident that he’d make the final 52-yarder.

“I would say I was (confident), I think that’s one of the most important things for kickers to have is confidence,” McPherson told Dan Patrick on his show. “My teammates had confidence in me.

“I had just taken my last warmup kick into the net. Brandon Allen was telling me, ‘You got this.’ Joe runs to the right, we take a timeout. I walk to the field and I turned to Brandon and told him, ‘Well, looks like we’re going to the AFC Championship.’ I didn’t want to go to overtime, honestly, our team deserved to end it there and get some rest, it was the least I could do.”

Despite the Bengals’ playoff attempts hanging on his kick, McPherson couldn’t bring himself to watch it leave his foot.

“I did not personally (watch the kick),” McPherson said. “I watched it at the halfway point but the way the ball was flying and how it went off my foot, I knew it was good.”