Auburn football: Anders Carlson ready to prove himself again this season

It’s been “The Carlson Era” in the Auburn football program for a long time. Anders Carlson will be entering his senior year this season, and his older brother Daniel was on the Tigers’ roster from 2013-2017. The pair have been reliable kickers for Auburn for years, and the younger Carlson’s talent is being recognized this year in the form of being named a pre-season All-American.

The Auburn Athletic Department announced yesterday that Anders Carlson was named to the 2021 Walter Camp pre-season All-American second-team offense. The honors follow Carlson’s 2020 All-American second-team status and his semifinalist finish for the Lou Groza award.

Last season marked Carlson’s third as Auburn’s starting placekicker, and to date, he’s scored 275 career points, which is the 5th best in program history. Carlson made 20 of 22 field-goal attempts in 2020, with multiple kicks from 50 yards.

Carlson was beaten out for the first-team spot by LSU placekicker Cade York. The fellow SEC kicker made 18 of 21 field-goal attempts last season, his longest being a whopping 57 yards at Florida.

Despite his reputation preceding him, Carlson said during spring practice that he’s proud of last season, but going forward he plans to work just as hard to be the best:

"“For me, it’s not really about last year. I’m going to carry the positives and confidence into this year and really seek after that goal again. I’ve got to prove myself again.”"

Though he could have forgone his senior season for the NFL Draft, Carlson made the decision to return to Auburn to do just that. He bested his older brother with a 90.9 field-goal percentage last year, but Daniel Carlson is still the SEC’s all-time leading scorer, giving Anders something to work towards.

With one more year of kicking for Auburn football on his horizon, Anders Carlson is on track to be the best placekicker in college football in the 2021 season.