Growing up, I was always told by my parents "to strive to be the best, reach for the stars and strive to be the best person you can, in everything you do and everything you encounter." I took this onboard from a young age; I have a very peculiar view of life; I want everything I do and whatever I support to be the best. I try to stay positive in the worst of times; I try to keep the view of that "things are always worse elsewhere."
It was five years ago that I became an Auburn fan. I've been asked all the time why I became an Auburn fan. A young man living overseas with little knowledge of the game, choosing to become a fan of a school based in the small area of Auburn, Alabama, over the more popular programs such as USC,Texas and Alabama. Why you ask?
I reference back to the first paragraph; I wanted to be a fan of a team that I know strives to be the very best, a team with fans as wonderful as Auburn's, that stay positive and close-knit even when things are bad. That's the true testament of a person isn't it, how will you react when things don't go to plan?
I know that's Auburn. the school is fantastic, and Jordan-Hare Stadium is a place in which I wish I could permanently live.
I feel some fans have lost their way a bit, some have become obsessed with comparing ourselves to other programs, some have become obsessed with finding approval from other teams fans, some have hit the positive highs when things go well, only to sink back down when things aren't going to plan.
This team has achieved some incredible things in the last few years. We have a head coach that could go down as the best Auburn coach of all time, an excellent coaching staff who are also in their own respect terrific recruiters (that's obvious looking at our last two classes), two new coordinators who I have no doubt will bring many more great things to the program. This program also won their first ever BCS National Championship in 2010, something many schools haven't even come close to achieving. Overall, we are incredibly fortunate.
What's wrong with being positive? There's a difference between a positive attitude and a sunshine-pumping attitude. I'm a realist; I see things for what they are. If something doesn't look right, then I'll call it out like I always do. But that doesn't mean I'm going to criticise the staff for losing a commitment, which happens every year to every school. I'm not going to belittle our efforts, no matter what happens on the other side of the state. Who cares what they do? I certainly don't.
I fully believe we will recruit the best players, and will finish strong on Feb. 1, no doubt about that.
This is the strongest the program has been in years, and if you don't realise that, then I cannot help you.
Chizik hired these coaches and brought in these recruits because he and those others believe that Auburn is going to continue being great. It's certainly why I'm a fan of Auburn. It's about time some others believe in Auburn, too.
I stand by Auburn, and I'm damn proud of it, too.