When the SEC football season unofficially kicked off last month at Media Days, each school chose three of its highest-profile players to represent their team. While most schools went with skill position players or student-athletes who make a big impact on defense, Auburn went outside the box, choosing kicker Daniel Carlson to represent his school alongside offensive lineman Braden Smith and defensive back Tray Matthews.
This may seem like high praise for the senior kicker from Colorado Springs, Colorado, but Carlson has certainly earned it.
In 39 games on The Plains, Carlson ranks second in Auburn history in points scored with 354. He ranks eighth in SEC history with 69 field goals and is fourth in SEC history with an 83.1 career field goal percentage.
Carlson is a two-time Lou Gorza Award finalist, a two-time second team All-American, and a two-time All-SEC first team selection. He is also the reigning SEC Special Teams Player of the Year.
If all those accolades weren’t enough, Carlson was named Auburn’s male athlete of the year for the 2016-17 school year.
In last year’s game against LSU, Carlson tied an Auburn and SEC record with six field goals as Auburn defeated the Tigers 18-13 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. He also made four field goals against Ole Miss and Alabama and three against Vanderbilt.
Carlson has been versatile in his three years kicking at Auburn. In 2014, Carlson kicked in all 13 games and punted in 12 games, as he became the first Tiger specialist to do punting, placekicking and kickoffs since Damon Duval did it from 1999-2002.
In addition to his success on the field, Carlson has also proven himself in the classroom. He is a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection and was named Academic Top Tiger in both 2014 and 2016. He graduated in August with a degree in business.
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