April 23, 2018
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. -- Daniel Carlson made 92 field goals during his time at Auburn. He consistently knocked down kicks of 50-plus yards. There were games where he made four, five or even six field goals -- his six field-goal performance to beat LSU might have cost Les Miles his job. But the kick he remembers the most? He missed it.
It was Jan. 1, 2015. Carlson was still a redshirt freshman at the time, kicking in his first bowl game -- the Outback Bowl against Wisconsin. The game went to overtime, and after the Badgers drew first blood with a field goal, it was up to Auburn to tie or win the game. The offense went three-and-out, though, which set up a 45-yard field-goal attempt to tie.
It's a kick Carlson has made time and time again during his time on the Plains, but on that day, he pushed it right and the ball ricocheted off the right upright.
"I was a redshirt freshman still," Carlson said. "You don't know a lot of the seniors that well, and that's their season. The worst part was having to go back in the locker room and hug up on guys. Guys were very understanding. They didn't blame me. But just to apologize and say, `Hey, I'm sorry this is how your season ended, how your career ended.'
"But I think that was a great learning experience for me just to understand that you can't win them all. My last game here at Auburn wasn't what we wanted it to be, but you've got to look back at it as a whole. There are so many special times I've been able to go through. In 2013, two of the best games that are ever going to be played, and then even this past season, beating Alabama and Georgia the way we did. You can't put a price on those memories."
Little did everybody know at the time that Carlson would go on to become the SEC's all-time scoring leader, a three-time Lou Groza Award finalist and one of the most well-liked and recognizable athletes in recent Auburn history.
Later this week, four years after that Outback Bowl, the tall, skinny redshirt freshman who missed that kick will likely be the first kicker off the board in this year's NFL draft.
In football, celebrity status is typically reserved for the quarterback. Everybody knows the quarterback. Everybody wants a picture with the quarterback or an autograph from him. Just ask Jarrett Stidham. Outside of Gus Malzahn, he had the longest line of fans at A-Day waiting to get his autograph or a picture with him.
But by the time Carlson finished his career at Auburn, he reached that celebrity status. The kicker might have been the biggest celebrity on the team.
"I don't know what it's about," Carlson said. "It's surprising and I'm still kind of confused, but I'm happy that Auburn's liked me because I know I've liked my time here.
"It's fun to play for the fans, and more importantly, it's fun to play for your teammates. You go through all the work, but there is definitely something to the Auburn family. They know their football, and they love the team. If you do the right things and you work hard and you do it on the field, they're going to love you that much more."
That love helped give Carlson a platform that he never dreamed he'd have when he first signed with Auburn back in 2013. It helped him create a legacy off the field that, if you ask him, means more than what he accomplished on it.
For starters, Carlson met his wife while he was at Auburn. He was also able to grow in his faith, setting an example for those around him. He served as a mentor for kids by visiting them at the hospital or spending his Friday's reading to them at their school. He was the special guest of honor at a charity banquet for kids that had overcome chemotherapy.
"It's been fun to kind of have that extra platform," Carlson said. "You can make an extra kid's day because they know you're the kicker. You're the big, tall, blonde kicker. That helps with what I wanted to do these last few years in the fact that I can give back a little more."
And to think, five years ago, Carlson was the 18-year-old kid goofing off and staying up late.
"When I look back that's kind of who I was," he said. "To where I am now -- I'm married and I got most of my ducks in a row. I just think that the people around me -- Auburn, who they put around you, the type of coaches we have, the type of character that Auburn instills in you and demands from you to be that Auburn man, I think that's something that's helped mold me. And that's the biggest thing I look at -- how much I've grown over the years.
"Once I started maturing, that's when I started realizing I have -- not so much a responsibility or requirement to give back -- but I have an opportunity to do it."
Over the last three months, Carlson has stayed busy preparing for the NFL draft. There was the combine, Auburn's pro day and multiple visits to various interested NFL teams. It's similar to when he was a recruit in high school. Only this time he doesn't get to pick where he goes. He could end up in Minnesota, Florida or anywhere in between.
"It's like being stuck in a limbo kind of stage where you're really unsure," Carlson said. "Do we buy more winter clothes or do we buy some more swimsuits?
"For me at the end of the day, I just want to keep playing football. If I had to play in the Canadian League or something like that, I just want to keep enjoying the game and playing on a team and doing what I love to do and do it to the best of my abilities. I think it's a lot like coming in to college where you're unsure of a lot, but at the end of the day, you pray about it and God's got a plan. He obviously took care of me here at Auburn, so I expect the same going forward."
Carlson and the rest of the Auburn family will find out where the three-time Groza Award semifinalist will continue playing this weekend at the NFL draft. He'll hear his name called at some point Thursday, Friday or Saturday.
Regardless of where he goes, though, Carlson will always be an Auburn Tiger.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf