Cal Kicker Towns McGough Left Auburn for the West Coast and Found Exactly What He Needed
The placekicker had never been west of Texas. Now he's driving to church in Concord, kicking at Cal and grounded in something bigger than percentages.
Towns McGough grew up rooting for Auburn. Getting to play there was a dream. Leaving was still the right call.
“Nothing but thanks for the staff at Auburn for the opportunity they gave me. Being from Auburn, Alabama, getting to play for the team I rooted for my whole life was just a blessing. But after two years, I definitely felt like it was in my best interest with my goals to get to the NFL to pursue another path somewhere else. Cal offered that opportunity and there’s no looking back.”
He had never been west of Texas before arriving in Berkeley, and the Bay Area has delivered.
“Golden Gate Bridge, obviously a super touristy spot, but walking across it, driving across it, really cool experience. I’ve been able to go to the beach over in Pacifica, go to church about 30 minutes away. I’ve been able to travel all around the Bay Area. It’s been really cool.”
That church commitment isn’t incidental. McGough traces it back to a difficult freshman year at Auburn when he was measuring his worth in field goal percentages.
“I was rooting my identity in my results, how I was kicking, percentages, comparing myself to other guys around the country. What a lesson learned for me, to look back on that experience and face that adversity. I was like, man, I got to root my identity in Jesus Christ who I say I follow. That’s kept me so rooted and so grounded, and it shows on the practice field as well.”
He saw Cal up close during that same freshman year, when the Bears came to Auburn looking for revenge after the previous season.
“We knew they were coming in to prove something. Cal was ready to come in and get that revenge and they sure did. They put on a clinic out there. I knew they was a hard fighting team. Every one of those guys had something bigger than themselves they were playing for. That was evident on the field.”
His game has grown beyond the leg power that defined him early. Coming off a winter injury, he’s being measured about distance for now but confident inside a reliable range.
“At first my strengths were my leg power and ball height for field goals and kickoffs. But now I can do a little bit of everything: accuracy, ball height, leg power, explosive. I feel comfortable with anything probably inside of 53, 54 and in. I look forward to stretching out a little bit more as we get into the fall.”
The special teams unit, he says, makes everything easier.
“Every single snapper, every single holder, they make my job super easy when it comes to kicking. The power unit things we do as a spec room, when we go get dinner, when we hang out outside this facility, that bond off the field creates a better bond on the field. They’ve been nothing but welcoming and just making me a better person and player.”