Sept. 28, 2017
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. -- Another day, another honor. That's become the norm for Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson this season.
On Monday, Carlson was selected as one of the Lou Groza Award "Stars of the Week" after he made all three of his field goals (41, 52, 54) in last Saturday's win over Missouri. Two days later, he was named a semifinalist for the 2017 William V. Campbell Trophy, an award that recognizes the best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
They're all unique, but the one that stood out to Auburn's senior kicker came last week when he was one of 22 college football players named to the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, an award that shines a spotlight on the incredible stories of selflessness and community service displayed by the selected student-athletes.
"That one is probably the biggest deal for me," Carlson said. "Doing community service has always been something important to me. Giving back with my influence that I've been able to have while being a football player here at Auburn and having all this success -- that goes a long way. And people kind of see what you're doing and you can have a good influence on your community and around the world."
This past offseason, Carlson was a part of two separate mission trips -- one to Guatemala with teammate Austin Golson and a group from Church of the Highlands and another to the Dominican Republic with a handful of other teammates and head coach Gus Malzahn.
Awesome experience on the mission trip to the Dominican Republic! Thanks to @utk223 and Reel Life ministries. pic.twitter.com/cfY2cUh2bV
-- Coach Gus Malzahn (@CoachGusMalzahn) May 11, 2017
"I've always wanted to learn more and more," Carlson said. "So it's been really cool to be able to see different places and cultures and just be able to help people or give people a smile.
"Giving back, I think it's more rewarding for me in the long run. You might be able to help someone get a water filter or visit kids in hospitals, whatever it is to put a smile on someone's face. For me, that just brings so much joy. I know that's something that God wants me to do."
Fans can vote Carlson for the AFCA Good Works Team Captain now through November 23. The winner will be honored at this season's The Home Depot College Football Awards.
Past Auburn players who have been selected to the AFCA Good Works Team include Jonathan Wallace, Philip Lutzenkirchen, Will Herring, Reggie Torbor and Haven Fields.
As far as Carlson's performance on the field, it looks as if the Lou Groza Award finalist from a year ago has found his form again after missing three field goals in the team's first three games. To put that in perspective, he missed four field goals (28 of 32) all of last year.
"I think it's very important," Malzahn said. "Like I've said before, he puts a lot of pressure on himself and everything that goes with that, and I think he's just doing his thing now."
What did Carlson attribute the early-season struggles to?
"It was early in the season, and I think there are always some things you're going to need to go figure out just like an offense or defense needs to fix and kind of get in a groove," he said. "But luckily last game I had a good one, and in my opinion, the next one is all that matters. I'm going to continue to try and improve and fix those things that earlier in the season might have been going on.
"Obviously, I'm just there to help the team. As long as I'm doing that, I'm happy. There a lot of personal goals ahead of myself too after that, so I'm just trying to do my best each kick."
Greg Ostendorf is a Staff Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf