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Saban's Efforts to Reverse the Bump Rule Stymied in Destin

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Coach Saban's effort to reverse the ban on "bumps" floundered at the league meetings in Destin this week. Once upon a time, coaches were allowed to assess prospects from a distance during the spring, but personal contact was limited to simple exchanges known as "bumps." This was barred after a bunch of folks got their panties in a twist over Saban's recruiting efforts in South Florida. Saban insists the access is critical for player evaluation but other coaches, notably Auburn's Gene Chizik disagree, calling it a "grey area." In fact, Chizik seems to argue that the prohibition on head coaches recruiting in the spring is actually an advantage: "I enjoy that part of it," he told the Montgomery Advertiser. "I enjoy the part where I can get some things done in-house on campus with my own football team -- spend some time with them while everyone else is out."