Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson is SEC Special Teams player of the year

Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson was named the SEC Special Teams player of the year Wednesday.

Carlson made the coaches’ All-SEC team earlier in the week for a second straight season.

The junior led the league in scoring and tied an SEC record with six field goals in Auburn’s 18-13 win over LSU.

“He is the best kicker in college football, and it is not even close,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said earlier this season.

It’s an opinion Malzahn shares every time he’s asked about his kicker. Malzahn also refers to Carlson as one of the best “weapons” in college football.

Carlson broke his own single-season record for Auburn this year with 26 field goals. He also moved into first place for career field goals made (67). With 348 career points, Carlson is closing in on Wes Byrum’s scoring record (363 points).

The program’s most decorated kicker has indicated multiple times in recent weeks he intends on returning to the Plains for his senior season.

After the Iron Bowl, Carlson said he was leaning against entering the NFL Draft.

“I’m definitely wanting to stay,” Carlson said. “I’m leaning toward that, but I’ll have to look at all my options now. Now that the season’s kind of over and I’ve got a little time before the bowl game I’ll definitely think about my options, but I think I’m leaning towards staying, because I love being a Tiger.”

The Colorado native is expected to be joined at Auburn next year by his brother Anders Carlson. The No. 2-rated kicker in the Class of 2017 verbally committed to the Tigers in June out of the Classical Academy in Colorado which Daniel also attended.

This story was originally published December 7, 2016 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson is SEC Special Teams player of the year."