Anders Carlson could’ve had much worse company during the COVID-19 shutdown.
He trained three days a week for about two-and-a-half months with his brother, SEC all-time leading scorer and former Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson. Even with the elder Carlson an established NFL starter, Anders said he and Daniel are still able to play off each other, giving mutual tips and brainstorming ways to continue their success at the position.
“I have been kicking good. I think I came off a strong session in the quarantine,” Anders said Thursday during a Zoom call with reporters. “... I think I carried that into coming back as a team.”
Though the 2020 preseason at Auburn looks different in a countless number of ways, one momentous factor has remained the same for Carlson.
“To have support from the coaches, from (Gus) Malzahn and the coaches below as well, that brings me a lot of confidence,” Carlson said. “And I'm ready to roll.”
Since he took over kicking duties for his older brother in 2018, Carlson has received persistent votes of confidence from his head coach, the staff around him, and his teammates.
Malzahn believes there’s no other way to breed success in a placekicker — a position where a steady conscience is key and the mental game is almost as important as the gridiron — than to be unwavering in a stance that the kicker will achieve greatness, regardless of what kind of funk he finds himself in.
Auburn’s head coach did the same for Daniel Carlson and the kickers before Anders, and he’ll do the same when Anders is gone.
Anders Carlson did work himself into somewhat of a rut last year. Carlson was plenty successful from short range, but outside of 40 yards, he missed six straight kicks after the midway point of the season.
Malzahn didn’t pay attention to Carlson’s statistics, however. He never has. So he came back to his kicker with the same dependence and conviction in Auburn’s biggest game of the season.
Carlson in turn had one of the best kicking performances in Auburn history in the Iron Bowl win over Alabama, nailing field goals from 43, 52, 43 and 42 yards out, including the now-infamous “whistle kick” right before the half that prompted a rule change from the NCAA. Carlson also hit a 54-yard field goal that didn’t appear in the box score after it was waived off due to an Alabama penalty.
"We talked all year: 'Man, you're going to win a game for us,’” Malzahn said after the win. “Tonight, he did that."
Carlson looks to ride that high all the way into his 2020 campaign.
“In the offseason I got to think about it a lot, and trying to do the same things going into this season,” Carlson said of his Iron Bowl performance. “It’s huge. I think mindset is everything. Once you get to the Division-I level, all kickers have the leg for the most part. Some might be a little taller than me and have more leverage.
“But I think mindset is what separates people.”
This preseason, Carlson said he’s embraced the challenge of improving yet again heading into his third season. He’s not shying away from self-expectations in 2020.
“My goal is to be the best kicker in college football this year,” Carlson.
Carlson will continue to lean on his coaches and family alike as he chases those lofty aspirations. Though he can’t watch all his brother’s games on Sundays (“I can always catch up on highlight clips, and my parents usually send a video or two”) he still keeps in contact with Daniel for advice — on kicking, life, or anything that comes up during their lengthy conversations.
“We can get on the phone and talk for hours if we want to about kicking and just the journey and what it’s done for us in life and how it’s blessed us,” Anders said. “I think we both understand that pretty well, that we’re blessed to be in this situation, and that both of us are doing it together makes it even more special.”
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