2021 Auburn Football Player Profile, Overview: No. 26 Anders Carlson

Anders Carlson enters his senior season and fourth year as starter with expectations higher than ever.

Name: Anders Carlson

Number: 26

Position: Kicker

Class: Senior

Height: 6’5″

Weight: 220 lbs

Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colorado

High School: Classical Academy

2020 stats: 20-of-22 field goal attempts, 24-of-25 extra point attempts, 60 kickoffs, 37 touchbacks, 3 out of bounds, 2 tackles

Twitter: @_anderscarlson_

Overview:

Carlson enters his fourth straight year as the starter at the kicking position and expectations are just as high as ever. Already being recognized with a spot on Walter Camp’s All-American Team, Carlson is a major weapon in both his length in field goals and ability to make the opponents take a touchback on kickoffs.

Anders Carlson named preseason All-American by Walter Camp

Auburn senior kicker Anders Carlson has been named to the Walter Camp preseason All-American second team.

We are going on the eighth straight season of someone with the last name Carlson will handle kicking duties for Auburn.

First, it was Daniel Carlson from 2014-18, the SEC’s all-time leading point scorer and, four the fourth straight year, it will be Anders Carlson, Daniel’s younger brother.

Anders is getting some recognition going into his senior season as he has been named to the second team on Walter Camp’s preseason All-American list.

Carlson finished last season 20-of-22 on field goal attempts, including the game-winner against Arkansas, while making all but one extra point attempt. His efforts earned him first team All-SEC by the Associated Press following the season.

Tank Bigsby named AP SEC Newcomer of the Year

Tank Bigsby named Newcomer of the Year by AP to close impressive freshman campaign.

Auburn star freshman running back Tank Bigsby was named the AP’s SEC Newcomer of the Year.

Kicker Anders Carlson was a first-team All-SEC selection by the AP. Bigsby and safety Smoke Monday were named to the second-team.

Bigsby rushed for 834 yards and five touchdowns on 138 carries. His 834 yards are the second-most ever by an Auburn freshman.

Carlson made 18 of his 20 field goals and 23 of his 24 extra point attempts. Monday has 64 tackles, 1.0 sack, 2.0 tackles for loss and two interceptions.

The 2020 AP All-SEC team, as selected by a panel of 18 sports writers and sportscasters who regularly cover the league, with name, school, height, weight, class and hometown. (“u-” denotes unanimous selection):

FIRST TEAM

Offense

QB — Mac Jones, Alabama, 6-3, 214, RJr., Jacksonville, Florida.

RB — u-Najee Harris, Alabama, 6-2, 230, Sr., Antioch, California.

RB — Kevin Harris, South Carolina, 5-10, 225, So., Hinesville, Georgia.

T — u-Alex Leatherwood, Alabama, 6-6, 312, Sr., Pensacola, Florida.

ADVERTISEMENT

T — Darian Kinnard, Kentucky, 6-5, 345, Jr., Knoxville, Tennessee.

C — Landon Dickerson, Alabama, 6-6, 325, RSr., Hickory, North Carolina.

G — Trey Smith, Tennessee, 6-6, 330, Sr., Jackson, Tennessee.

G — Ben Cleveland, Georgia, 6-6, 335, Sr., Taccoa, Georgia.

TE — u-Kyle Pitts, Florida, 6-4, 225, Jr., Philadelphia.

WR — u-DeVonta Smith, Alabama, 6-1, 175, Sr, Amite, Louisiana.

WR — Elijah Moore, Mississippi, 5-9, 184, Jr., Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

All-Purpose — Kadarius Toney, 5-11, 194, Sr., Mobile, Alabama.

K — Anders Carlsen, Auburn, 6-5, 215, Jr., Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Defense

DE — Dayo Odeyingbo, Vanderbilt, 6-6, 276, Sr., Irving, Texas.

DE — Trajan Jeffcoat, Missouri, 6-3, 265, RSo., Irmo, South Carolina.

DT — Christian Barmore, Alabama, 6-5, 310, RSo., Philadelphia.

DT — Bobby Brown III, Texas A&M, 6-4, 325, Jr., Arlington, Texas.

LB — Nick Bolton, Missouri, 6-2, 232, Jr., Frisco, Texas.

LB — Grant Morgan, Arkansas, 5-11, 222, RSr., Greenwood, Arkansas.

LB — Monty Rice, Georgia, 6-1, 235, Sr., Huntsville, Alabama.

CB — Patrick Surtain II, Alabama, 6-2, 202, Jr., Plantation, Florida.

CB — Erik Stokes, Georgia, 6-1, 185, Jr., Covington, Georgia.

S — Richard LeCounte, Georgia, 5-11, 190, Sr., Riceboro, Georgia.

S — Jalen Catalon, Arkansas, 5-10, 189, RFr., Mansfield, Texas.

P — Jake Camarda, Georgia, 6-2, 180, Jr., Norcross, Georgia.

SECOND TEAM

Offense

QB — Kyle Trask, Florida, 6-5, 240, Sr., Manvel, Texas.

RB — Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M, 6-1, 225, So., Spring, Texas.

RB — Tank Bigsby, Auburn, 6-0, 204, Fr., LaGrange, Georgia.

T — Landon Young, Kentucky, 6-7, 321, Sr., Lexington, Kentucky.

T — Carson Green, Texas A&M, 6-6, 320, Sr., Southlake, Texas.

G — Kenyon Green, Texas A&M, 6-4, 325, So., Humble, Texas.

G — Deonte Brown, Alabama, 6-4, 350, RSr., Decatur, Alabama.

C — Drake Jackson, Kentucky, 6-2, 292, Sr., Versailles, Kentucky.

TE — Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M, 6-5, 265, So., Dickinson, Texas.

WR — Treylon Burks, Arkansas, 6-3, 232, So., Warren, Arkansas.

WR — Kadarius Toney, Florida, 5-11, 194, Sr., Mobile, Alabama.

All-Purpose — Jerrion Ealy, Mississippi, 5-8, 190, So., Walnut Grove, Mississippi.

K — Cade York, LSU, 6-1, 198, So., McKinney, Texas.

Defense

DE — Ali Gaye, LSU, 6-6, 262, Jr., Lynnwood, Washington.

DE — Brenton Cox Jr., Florida, 6-4, 249, Jr., Lithonia, Georgia.

DT — Kingsley Enagbare, South Carolina, 6-4, 270, Jr., Atlanta.

DT — Jonathan Marshall, Arkansas, 6-3, 317, RSr., Shepherd, Texas.

LB — Azeez Ojulari, Georgia, 6-3, 240, RSo., Marietta, Georgia.

LB — Willie Anderson Jr., Alabama, 6-4, 235, Fr., Hampton, Georgia.

LB — Henry To’o To’o, Tennessee, 6-2, 225, So., Sacramento, California.

CB — Kaiir Elam, Florida, 6-2, 194, So., Riviera Beach, Florida.

CB — Eli Ricks, LSU, 6-2, 196, Fr., Rancho Cucamonga, California.

S — Smoke Munday, Auburn, 6-2, 196, Jr., Atlanta.

S — Malachi Moore, Alabama, 6-0, 182, Fr., Trussville, Alabama.

P — Max Duffy, Kentucky, 6-1, 190, Sr., Perth, Australia.

___

Coach of the year — Nick Saban, Alabama.

Offensive player of the year — DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama.

Defensive player of the year — Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama.

Newcomer of the year — Tank Bigsby, RB, Auburn.

Keys to Auburn’s 24-10 win over Mississippi State

Here were the keys to Auburns 24-10 win over Mississippi State.

It may have taken some time but the Auburn offense finally woke up and the Tigers picked up a critical win against Mississippi State. 

Auburn rode its defense and a strong fourth quarter to a 24-10 win where neither offense looked ready to play in the first half. 

The win snapped a two-game losing streak and improved Auburn to 6-4 on the season. 

Here were the keys to the important win. 

Anders Carlson named a Lou Groza Award semifinalist

Auburn kicker Anders Carlson has made 15 out of 17 field goal attempts this season while also handling kickoff duties.

Anders Carlson has been a stable kicker for Auburn so far this season and he’s now getting some recognition.

On Monday, Carlson was named one of the 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza National Collegiate Place-Kicker Award. This is nothing new to the Carlson family as Daniel, Anders’ older brother, was a finalist for the award three years in a row during his time on the Plains.

In his junior season, Carlson has made 15-of-17 field goal attempts and missed just one extra point out of 23 tries. Also handling kickoff duties, he has recorded 30 touchbacks.

Carlson is joined by Florida’s Evan McPherson, Missouri’s Harrison Mevis, Georgia’s Jack Podlesny, Alabama’s Will Reichard and LSU’s Cade York as representatives from the SEC.

Twitter reacts to Auburn’s ugly win over Arkansas

Twitter was on fire after Auburn’s controversial win over Arkansas on Saturday night.

Betting lines had Auburn as a 14-point favorite over Arkansas, but we all knew this game was going to be ugly after last week’s loss against Georgia. Auburn squeaked by Arkansas after a last minute field goal by Anders Carlson to win the game 30-28.

Oh and there was a controversial call at the end which swung in Auburn’s favor. Here we go:

This game goes down as a win in the record books, but man it feels like a loss.

Twitter reacts to Auburn’s ugly win over Arkansas

Twitter was on fire after Auburn’s controversial win over Arkansas on Saturday night.

Betting lines had Auburn as a 14-point favorite over Arkansas, but we all knew this game was going to be ugly after last week’s loss against Georgia. Auburn squeaked by Arkansas after a last minute field goal by Anders Carlson to win the game 30-28.

Oh and there was a controversial call at the end which swung in Auburn’s favor. Here we go:

This game goes down as a win in the record books, but man it feels like a loss.

25 Bold and Downright Insane Predictions for the Auburn, SEC Football Season

The 2020 college football season is already going to be weird so let’s predict some bold and insane things that could happen.

It is already going to be a weird season of college football, so let’s just go ahead and get crazy. Mascot-on-mascot violence? Sure. Coaches losing their minds? Absolutely. Gary Danielson not mentioning Alabama during a SEC on CBS broadcast? Well, we aren’t at that point yet, but I say we celebrate the upcoming season with a look at some things that could possibly but hardly likely to come true in 2020.

MORE: What Auburn’s SEC only 2020 football schedule could look like

Yes, it is that time again for some wackiness so let’s go ahead and list 25 bold and, some would say, downright insane predictions for both the Auburn and SEC football season. Ready? Ready.

  1. Bo Nix will release his much awaited debut rap album titled “Nix’in and Fix’in It.” He will forget to thank his five offensive lineman for their contributions to the album, especially the song “Blocking is Only For The Strong,” resulting in Nix being sacked a record 25 times against LSU.
  2. Also mad about not being included on Nix’s album, Seth Williams will start tipping passes into the air or, as they sometimes call it, the “Georgia secondary method.”
  3. Gus Malzahn will refuse to come out of his dressing room after accidentally being told that his beloved Dubble Bubble gum has been replaced with a cheaper knockoff.
  4. Auburn’s running backs will have no leg strength after doing nothing but leg lifts for six hours after new offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. insults “those puny calves that look like a baby.” Also, in this scenario, Bicknell talks like Hans and Franz from the old Saturday Night Live skit. Look it up, kids.
  5. In a moment of whimsy, Nick Saban will go for the lighter blonde hair coloring instead of the darker version … errr, not that he colors his hair or anything. All natural. 
  6. Struggling to put away Kentucky in Jordan-Hare Stadium, Malzahn will employ the secret Jared Harper package at quarterback with the actual Harper taking the snaps. The Wildcats will immediately melt down as the Tigers win by 28.
  7. Anthony Schwartz, feeling unchallenged in track, will challenge a live cheetah to a 100-yard dash. Sensing a predator in the area, the eagles will circle the stadium and attack the cheetah at precisely the same time, resulting in the worst massacre on the field since Brodie Croyle visited in 2006.
  8. Sensing the job security that usually comes with winning a national title, Ed Orgeron will decide to coach via Zoom from a remote island that will be undisclosed. It will turn out that he is actually just bathing in Mike the Tiger’s habitat. 
  9. Following the first victory of the season, Chad Morris will be seen hyperventilating beneath the stadium, overwhelmed by the accomplishment of winning a SEC game.
  10. The season ticket holders in Section 13 will sign a petition asking for the name of the section to be changed as 13 is an unlucky number. Auburn officials will perform the ultimate troll by renaming it Section 2020.
  11. In a moment of hysteria, Associate Athletic Director/Communications Kirk Sampson will announce that he and only he will be answering the media’s questions following games. He will then spend 15 minutes rambling about deep dish pizza. 
  12. Mike Leach and Lane Kiffin, forgetting that the Egg Bowl was to be played the next day, have to hire a private charter plane to get back to Mississippi from Key West where they were last seen closing down Flying Monkeys.
  13. Anders Carlson will mock Alabama by kicking field goals barefooted and blindfolded while drinking a cup of hot tea.
  14. Charles Barkley will show up in President Jay Gogue’s box and accidentally call him Dr. Leath. In a moment of irony, it will be Barkley that is thrown out a plate glass window.
  15. Texas A&M’s “12th Man” will be down to nine after three fall ill from a case of preseason hype. The only cure is a mixture of disappointing losses and telling Texas that its song sounds like hell.
  16. Dan Mullen will suddenly retire and take the job he was born to have: a salesman at a Mercedes dealership in South Florida. He WILL sell you on the platinum package, just a deal between you and him.
  17. Patrick Nix will break the record for most shots of a dad in the crowd, formerly held by Archie Manning.
  18. Tired of Auburn settling for a field goal after reaching the red zone, The Voice of the Auburn Tigers Andy Burcham will release a tirade that includes such dirty words as “shucks” and “dang.” 
  19. Listening to Gary Danielson call a game for the first time, Tua Tagovailoa will think, “Man, that man needs to shut up about me.”
  20. Smoke Monday will return an interception for a touchdown and then disappear into a literal cloud of smoke, landing him the starring role in the sequel to The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.
  21. Georgia will once again fail to win its first national title since 1980. This is neither bold or insane.
  22. Will Muschamp will finally snap for good, interrupting a game by punting the ball into the stands, sacking his own quarterback and escaping the scene via one of the cabooses parked outside the stadium. 
  23. Big Kat Bryant will be forced to change his name after Carole Baskin mistakes him for competition and orders a hit on him. Not that she would ever do that. (Wink! Wink!) Wow. Tiger King feels so long ago.
  24. The 2010 National Championship team will be welcomed back at halftime of the LSU game. Pete Thamel will immediately write that the ceremony is an insult to the game of football, nay, the entire world.
  25. Auburn fans will take a loss in measure, seeing that it is only a game and won’t flood message boards and radio call-in shows with “Gus needs to be fired and now!” rants and will definitely not spread rumors about Bob Stoops hiring a realtor in the area because a friend who knows a friend’s brother’s cousin heard it over drinks at The Hound. Nope. That won’t happen at all.