Crimson Caravan check in thread

I can only say, I wished.

I was there

CSB

A little breakdown for the folks not there:

First off, it is a great experience that gives you a good "football-fix" in the off-season. The MC is Eli, so it's fun to hear his voice throughout the night narrating the events.

The event has a panel of speakers--Bill Battle, Eli, President of National Alumni Association, President of 'First and 10' program (helps place athletes in jobs after sports at UA), Head of Engineering Department, and Coach Saban.

The program gives you a run-down not just about the fooball program, but about the University as well. One of the impressive aspects is how much you realize the school itself has developed and grown since 2007. It has jumped to the high 70's in overall ranking in the US news report, we have more National Merit Scholars enrolled than any other University, there are FORTY new buildings on campus, and, the University attracts such a wide range of students, that more than half of the incoming freshman class is from out-of-state.

As far as CNS speak, he spoke about a few things that might pique y'all's interest. (1) He was pretty upset about the complacency of the program thus far. He said the Spring Game was abysmal and he enjoyed it because an "arse-chewing" came with every screw up. He was also upset with the fan-base about Auburn outdrawing us in the Spring game. He says they always host a lot of recruits that weekend, and it's a distinct advantage we have in April over most other schools with our ability to 're-create' a gameday environment.

(2) He spoke a lot about past seasons and different challenges. Basically said in 09' that AJ after mid-season would have burned his red-shirt had Greg gone down. Also said that 2010 was extraordinarily disappointing considering the talent we had.

(3) Talked a lot about how Alabama alums are crucial in recruiting. He made known at OB as well as other stops that it's important to tell the kids coming through the pipeline how great the school is, and to burn it into their impressionable minds that Tuscaloosa is the place to be for academics, social life, and football.

(4) He spent some time speaking about the amount of time they put into driving home not only 'the process,' but how to be a good person and student. They spend a ton of money on guest-speakers and psychologists to help keep these kids focused on what is importance. They put a HEAVY emphasis on these kids going to class, and graduating. We graduated more players than any other program in the SEC by a wide margin, and he's happy about that. He also said the 4 kids recently kicked-off the team were trouble from the start, and it was a mistake bringing them in.

Overall, a great night to hear about the program and the state of the University.