Imagine for a moment that you are a senior high school football player.
After making the big decision on where you are going to play your college ball, you hit campus as a true freshman--back to the small fish in a big pond.
But, even as a small fish, you got to take part in the biggest splash in school history.
Then, after a fairly smooth sophomore season, the storm hits. When the waters calm down, you find yourself having just one year to rebound from one of the worst years the team has ever seen.
That wild up and down ride describes the Auburn career of defensive lineman Craig Sanders and several of his fellow seniors.
Following Auburn's first fall practice day in full pads, Sanders took a moment to reflect on his time on The Plains and how important this camp is to his collegiate career.
"Coming in as a freshman and winning it all, that's absolutely the best way to start off your college career," Sanders said on Tuesday. "In 2011, we had a decent season and finished it off by winning the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
"And then the 2012 season was just in the dumps."
Even though Sanders and the rest of the team took that winless SEC campaign hard, the recently graduated Clio, Ala. native still is able to find a silver lining out of the enormously dark 3-9 season.
"(2012) has fueled us to have such a good offseason," Sanders said. "Our spring has carried over into the summer and into fall camp. Everyone is buying into what Coach Malzahn and the rest of the staff has for us."
Now into the fourth fall camp of his career, Sanders believes this is the best offseason the Tigers have ever had since he first stepped onto campus.
"This is the best offseason we've had as a team in coming together, growing closer, getting stronger in the weight room and wanting to get better," Sanders said. "As a defense, everyone's in their playbooks and watching extra film."
All of that extra work into learning new defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson's 4-2-5 playbook can get overwhelming for Sanders and his teammates. The defensive end estimates the defense gets 15 or so plays added to their playbooks per day, but he believes the team is doing what is necessary to get ready for the upcoming season.
And the 2013 season will definitely be an important one for Sanders and many of his teammates on the defensive line.
He was one of three true freshmen defensive linemen on the 2010 BCS National Championship squad. The trio of Sanders, Kenneth Carter and Jeffrey Whitaker is joined by Dee Ford and Nosa Eguae, who are fifth-year seniors heading into the new season.
Sanders says the extreme highs and lows of the seniors' time at Auburn have made them a very close unit ready to lead a defense with a lot to prove in 2013.
"Everyone is really, really close," Sanders said. "When we get done (at practice), it's not like we don't see each other for the rest of the day. We're always hanging out together. We've grown together as a defensive line."
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