In 2014, Daniel Carlson was impressive as a freshman handling all of the kicking duties for Auburn. Special teams coordinator Scott Fountain expects a few newcomers to take some of the pressure off of Carlson in the fall. With Quan Bray and Corey Grant gone, the return game will have a new look as well.
Last season, Carlson handled field goals and nearly all kickoffs and punts when fellow freshman Jimmy Hutchinson failed to win the job as punter. Hutchinson is no longer on the team after transferring.
A year ago, Carlson averaged 42 yards per punt and was good on 18-of-24 field goal attempts with a long of 51 yards.
Signee Ian Shannon and walk-on Kevin Phillips are expected to handle all of the punting duties so Carlson can focus on kickoffs and field goals.
The Tigers ranked fourth nationally in 2014 with 17.82 yards per punt return. Bray's 15 attempts averaged 18.1 yards per return, which ranked second in the country.
Fountain will rely on Marcus Davis to return punts, with Stephen Roberts and Jason Smith also getting looks. Davis returned two punts last season for 31 yards.
Grant was Auburn's top kickoff returner last year, averaging 22.4 yards on 18 attempts. Rudy Ford, Ricardo Louis and Roc Thomas all have a shot to take over for Grant in the fall. Louis returned eight kickoffs for an average of 21.4 yards last season while Thomas returned three for an average of 14.3 yards.
Phil Marion
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