< Previouslegacyofhope.org Have a HEART. When you become an organ donor, you’re helping people in need. Please register today. It’s quick, it’s easy and it could save up to eight lives. Scan the code to register now!SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: TOMMY NESMITH 61 As far back as he can remember, Auburn senior wide receiv- er Tommy Nesmith dreamed of wearing the Orange and Blue. An Auburn native, Nesmith grew up cheering on the Tigers, attending as many games as possible, regardless of the sport. He traveled the country with his family during his youth, from the 2014 BCS National Championship in Pasadena, California, to Madison Square Garden in New York City to root on the men’s basketball team, and everywhere in between; he’s been there, tried-and-true. As a young boy on the playground at Dean Road Elemen- tary, he emulated some of his favorite Tigers, pretending to be Nick Marshall, Tre Mason and his favorite player, Quan Bray. Nesmith decided to wear Bray’s No. 4 in junior high after the Tigers’ wideout gave him a towel following an Auburn game during the 2013 SEC championship season. A three-sport athlete growing up, Nesmith excelled at bas- ketball in high school and eventually developed into a better football player. As a senior, he was a first team all-area wide receiver, recording 37 catches for 716 yards and seven touch- downs while helping the Auburn High Tigers to the Alabama Class 7A quarterfinals. His dreams of one day suiting up in Jordan-Hare Stadium became a reality during his senior year in 2018 when Auburn high school relations liaison Doug Goodwin and coaches Tim Horton and Larry Porter offered him a preferred walk-on spot. “I grew up in Auburn, born and raised. My grandparents and my mom went to Auburn, so it’s come full circle,” Nesmith said. “When the opportunity presented itself that I could come here as a preferred walk-on, I thought, ‘Why not?’ That’s a dream I always wanted – to play and be a part on Saturday, so I said, ‘Let’s do it.’” Nesmith’s roots within Auburn University and the Au- burn community run deep. His father, Bud, has been a City of Auburn canine officer for 18 years, and is now a sergeant and recently retired from the Army National Guard. His mother, Susan, has spent over two decades working at Samford Hall in the President’s office. “I know for my parents this means everything,” Nesmith said. “I’m really thankful that my grandparents were with me on Signing Day, and they got to know that I was going here.” Sadly, Nesmith’s biggest supporters, grandparents Tom and Tobi Jones, affectionately called G Daddy and Nana, passed away between his senior year of high school and freshman year at Auburn. “Unfortunately, my grand- parents both passed away in an eight-month span, so they didn’t get to see me on the field at Auburn,” Nesmith said. “I know they’re looking down, and it means everything to them. They and my parents are the driving force of what I do.” It was his grandfather, Tom, a Navy veteran, who helped Ne- smith gain a love for history and his Nana, along with his parents, who stressed the importance of academics. That encourage- ment has helped Nesmith become a three-time Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll honoree. “Coming in, I knew that I was going have to put my head down and work,” Nesmith said. “With the pandemic and then the coaching staff change, I had to learn to adjust and adapt. That’s how life is, too. I’m not going tell you that it hasn’t been difficult at times, but I’ve loved the journey. I love the work. I wouldn’t want to take it back.” Despite the challenges, Nesmith has settled his last two years under head coach Bryan Harsin and is soaking up his senior year. “Coach Harsin is an excellent coach. I love his culture. I love everything that he’s about. Every team meeting, he makes us get our notebooks. I write down about every quote he says because it’s something that’s meaningful,” said Nesmith. “Thirty years from now and I see that notebook, there will be a quote that will pertain to what I’m doing. He’s very knowledgeable and is a great coach and a great leader.” Nesmith, like his fellow senior class members, wants to leave Auburn on a high note, and help put the program’s long-standing tradition of excellence back on the map. “I’m taking it all in this year,” Nesmith said. “Shed(rick) Jack- son and I after practice sat there and took it all in a few weeks ago. We’ve got a few months left. As history has stated, Auburn does its best when everyone’s sleeping on us. We want to prove people wrong and show people what we can do.” With graduation scheduled for May 2023, Nesmith is going to continue to soak in the Auburn experience after he has retired his pads and cleats. It will allow him more time with his girlfriend of five years, Caroline Snow, and the many friends on the team and on campus that he’s made during the last four years. “I’ll be a normal student in the spring, enjoying some expe- riences with my fraternity and finishing my degree,” Nesmith, an exercise science major, said. “I’m applying to medical school, and we’ll see where we’ll go from there after Auburn.” No matter where his future journeys take him, Nesmith will always be deeply connected to the Auburn community and Auburn University. “Auburn has been in my blood my whole life,” Nesmith said. “I’m proud and fortunate of where I’ve grown up and where I’ve gone to college. I’m proud of my experiences and who I’ve be- come because of Auburn. It’s not just football, it’s everything.” ‘PROUD OF WHO I’VE BECOME’ BY: KIRK SAMPSON AUBURNTIGERS.COM SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: TOMMY NESMITH $15billion impact. ServingAlabama's number-oneagricultural industrywitha GoodforYouandGreatforAlabama www.alabamapoultry.org Didyoueatyoureggsthismorning?SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: ANDERS CARLSON 63 There’s never a good time for a season-ending knee injury. But if it was ever going to happen, late in the 2021 season might rank among the less horrible times for Auburn kicker Anders Carlson. Injured while attempting an onside kick in the latter stages of the Tigers’ game with Mississippi State on Nov. 13, Carlson had a decision to make in the spring of 2022. And with an ex- tra year of eligibility available because of the COVID pandem- ic, it was nearly a no-brainer for him to return to the Plains for his sixth year. “The first few weeks were all about getting the surgery done,” Carlson said. “Making sure I was healthy, starting re- covery. I wasn’t really thinking about options or anything until maybe a month after the season ended. I wanted to finish my career at Auburn strong, and I don’t think being hurt to end a season – that wasn’t exactly how I wanted to leave my legacy. “I wanted to heal up, and I knew that being at college and at Auburn was a safe, good option for me. That’s what brought me back. I love the players here and my teammates. A couple of other guys came back, too, so that was easy. “Coach (Bryan) Harsin is building the culture here, too. You can’t beat that. It was an easy decision once I laid all the options out on the table.” Another factor Carlson had to consider when pondering a sixth year at Auburn was his personal life. He was one of several Tigers to get married during the offseason, and that played a part. “I was getting married in June,” he said of his mid-summer wedding with Abigail Coleman, a 2021 Auburn graduate in finance. “I did think about how my wife played into it as well. It’s an awesome feeling to have your wife hanging out with you every night when you come home from football. You still get to be connected with the guys (on the team), but you’ve got your little family back at home. That’s pretty cool.” Entering the 2022 season, Carlson ranked second in Auburn history in field goals made with 67, fourth in extra points (151) and third in overall scoring (352). And at the top of all those lists sits his brother, Daniel, one of the most prolific kickers in SEC history. Was the opportunity to see his name right next to his brother’s in the Auburn record books also a factor in Carlson’s return for another year of college football? Not so much, he says. “I don’t look at the records stuff really,” he said. “I might want to look back in 20 years with my kids. Sure, it would be good to see two Carlsons back-to-back (in the record book), but for me, I’m just focused on a strong year here, and then we’ll see where it plays out with numbers and everything.” Carlson does have his sights set on matching his brother in another way, however – a full-time kicking job in the NFL. The elder Carlson enters his fifth season in the league – most of that time spent with the Las Vegas Raiders – where he has developed into one of the NFL’s most consistent kickers and scorers. Heading to the professional ranks was on the table for Anders Carlson this time last year, but the injury gave him a chance to reconsider. However, the NFL is still a major goal for him. “Definitely the NFL for me,” Anders said. “For me, that’s where my hopes and dreams are going. I’ve always had that goal ever since I started football my sophomore year of high school. I knew I wanted to play professional sports at some point. It was soccer for a very long time, but I started football. Since then, I’ve had my eyes wherever the good Lord puts me in a spot to be. And that’s the goal next year. Seeing (Daniel) doing it at the highest level, it’s pretty cool to see that.” With two degrees in hand from Auburn already – a bache- lor’s degree in professional flight management along with an MBA – Carlson is a two-time first team Academic All-America honoree, just the second Auburn football player so honored twice, along with Matt Hawkins (1984-85). With an impressive academic and charitable record that includes nominations to the National Football Foundation Campbell Trophy, the AFCA Good Works and SEC communi- ty service teams, and SEC academic honor roll, AD honor roll and 1AFAR academic excellence recognition, Carlson will be able to start prepping for the pros as soon as this season ends. While his time at Auburn draws to a close in 2022, Carlson knows great things are ahead for the Tigers, both this year and down the road. His teammates and the university will always be special to him as he moves into the next stage of his life. “There’s been lot of big games, rivalry games, Iron Bowls,” he said, “So many things. For me, it’s the people and the mem- ories I had that probably no one else outside of football knows about. We specialists are a pretty weird group, and there’s some characters within the group itself. So just remembering some small moments with those guys will always be ingrained in my mind.” ‘FOCUSED ON A STRONG YEAR’ BY: WES TODD AUBURNTIGERS.COM SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: ANDERS CARLSON BUSINESS FRIENDS WORKING FOR THE FUTURE OF AUBURN AL lic #11024 334-501-2426 We Service All Brands • Better lift without underwire Our camis feature: • Digging Underwire For more information: Text the word “curious” to (205) 813-RUBY (7829) • Straps that stay in place all day • Cups designed to custom fit you • Full coverage for no bulge or spillage • Smoothing back and tummy panels • Wicking fabric to stay cooler and dryer • Slipping Straps • Cups That Don’t Fit • Bra Bulge • Bra Lines • Boob Sweat DO YOU HATE WEARING BRAS? -Call for pickups 334-705-8858 - Supporting Hosanna Home and His Place - 2,000 fresh pieces daily! 1750 Opelika Road, Auburn www.harvestevangelism.org AXE Come Check us out in Downtown Opelika... the owner is an Auburn Alum! (912) 322.1699Find us on 223 S 8th St. Opelika AL, 36801 Auburn’s First OFF-LEASH Dog Park & Bar! Bring Your Dog & Come Watch The Game With Us! We Have TV’s, Shade, & Over 16,000 Square Feet Of Turf! No Dog Required! 203 East University Drive gooddog_auburn | gooddogpark.org TASTE WEEKLY 2638 Enterprise Drive Opelika AL 36801 (334) 203-4783 www.Crumblcookies.comPOST SEASON TROPHY WINNERS 65 n Zeke Smith 1958 Outland Trophy n Tracy Rocker 1988 Outland Trophy & Lombardi Award n Carlos Rogers 2004 Jim Thorpe Award n Nick Fairley 2010 Lombardi Award n Reese Dismukes 2014 Rimington Trophy n Derrick Brown 2019 Lott IMPACT Trophy POST SEASON TROPHY WINNERS AUBURNTIGERS.COM66 TIGERS IN THE NFL TIGERS IN THE NFL AUBURNTIGERS.COM C.J. UZOMAH ANTHONY SCHWARTZ DARIUS SLAYTON JOSH BYNES RUDY FORD DERRICK BROWN K.J. BRITTTIGERS IN THE NFL 67 TIGERS IN THE NFL AUBURNTIGERS.COM JOHANTHAN JONES DANIEL CARLSON PRINCE TEGA WANOGHO Auburn in the NFL (as of Oct. 27, 2022) Montravius Adams DL Pittsburgh Steelers Angelo Blackson DL Chicago Bears K.J. Britt LB Tampa Bay Buccanners Derrick Brown DL Carolina Panthers Josh Bynes LB Baltimore Ravens Daniel Carlson PK Las Vegas Raiders Carlton Davis DB Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jamel Dean DB Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jack Driscoll OT Philadelphia Eagles Rudy Ford DB Green Bay Packers Josh Harris LS Los Angeles Chargers Noah Igbinoghene DB Miami Dolphins Jonathan Jones DB New England Patriots Carl Lawson DE New York Jets Roger McCreary DB Tennessee Titans Anthony Schwartz WR Cleveland Browns Jamien Sherwood DB New York Jets Arryn Siposs P Philadelphia Eagles Darius Slayton WR New York Giants Braden Smith OL Indianapolis Colts Jarrett Stidham QB Las Vegas Raiders Daniel Thomas DB Jacksonville Jaguars C.J. Uzomah TE New York Jets Prince Tega Wanogho OL Kansas City Chiefs Chandler Wooten LB Carolina Panthers Injured Reserve: Smoke Monday DB New Orleans Saints Also AU lettermen: Byron Cowart DL Indianapolis Colts Malik Willis QB Tennessee Titans Practice Squads: Big Kat Bryant (Miami), Seth Williams (Jacksonville)BUSINESS FRIENDS WORKING FOR THE FUTURE OF AUBURN Make tailgating easy by picking up our homemade dips, casseroles, cookies and cakes! Downtown Opelika • 334-748-9075 • 105 Southridge Ct. Opelika AL, 36804 334-663-2464 LET US MOVE YOU! Recover from Opioid Addiction 205-877-8585 WWW.READYMIXUSA.COM READY MIX USA Concrete Right...The First Time...On Time 334-737-1818 Ready Mix Concrete • Paving Water Proof Concrete • Flowable Fill Internally Reinforced Concrete Lightweight Concrete • Shotcrete Architectural Polished Concrete A Proud Supporter of Auburn University Moving? 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We are always looking for talented, self-motivated Chemical, Mechanical and Polymer & Fiber Engineers. Send engineering resumes to careers.aub@aptar.com. 960W. Veterans Blvd. | Auburn, AL 36832 334-887-8300 | Fax:334-887-8328Next >