Contributed by AU Athletics

Auburn specialists Anders Carlson and Bill Taylor received CoSIDA academic all-district honors for football Thursday, the first step toward Academic All-America recognition.

Carlson, Auburn’s placekicker for the past three seasons, graduated in December with a 3.92 GPA in professional flight management and is currently pursuing an MBA at Auburn. Carlson was a second-team All-American and a Lou Groza Award semifinalist in 2020, connecting on 20-22 field goals and 24-25 PAT last season. He has scored 275 career points, fourth-most in Auburn history.

Taylor, who graduated with a 3.59 GPA in agricultural communications, served as Auburn’s starting long snapper for three seasons. The Northport, Alabama, product and December graduate, who recently earned an NCAA Jim McKay Scholarship for communications, is a graduate assistant in agricultural leadership, education and communication at Georgia.

The all-district honorees were selected from among all Division I football student athletes playing at institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

The CoSIDA Academic All-America program recognizes the nation’s top student athletes for their combined performances on the field or court and in the classroom. First-team academic all-district® honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. First- and second-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early July.