Jumbo Package: NCAA Notice of Allegations coming in the wake of the basketball trials

In yesterday’s JP one of the comments suggested the Nick Saban himself may be the Anonymous Coach running down Alabama (defense has gaping holes, 2-3 losses on the horizon, Tua Tagovailoa needs to humble himself, etc.)

Little did we realize that AL.com would pay someone legal US tender to drop a 500-word thinkpiece on that same very tongue-in-cheek premise.

Loki, take me home. I’m ready. It’s gonna’ be a long offseason.

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Potter has a really good exclusive with King Mwikuta, a Tide summer enrollee at linebacker.

There are a lot of good quotes here, but I was most struck by King’s three-fold goals for his Summer semester:

“First of all, I just want to make sure all my grades are good going into the fall. I want to have all As and be on the All-Academic list or whatever,” Mwikuta said. “And secondly, I just want to learn the playbook so I can have a chance at seeing the field in something -- if it’s like special teams or field-goal blocking or something. And then I want to get faster, stronger and work on my movement, just like secondary movement and not just rushing the passer.”

He sounds like he’s a sharp kid and his priorities are in order.

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We’ll see how long Trendon Watford actually lasts in Baton Rouge. Yesterday, the NCAA’s director of enforcement dropped some post-signing day bad news for the Arizonas and Auburns and LSUs of the world:

Notices of allegations “will be coming,” Kevin Lennon, the NCAA’s vice president of Division I Governance, said Wednesday.

”You don’t get in the way of a federal investigation,” he said during a meeting of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. “Activity was going on during that span that was within our purview, but now that the court cases are done, now we’re in a position where you’re likely to see notices of allegations going to institutions that have violated NCAA rules, etc. I think you can anticipate notices of allegations will be coming.”

I look forward to the LSU conspiracy theories to drop “The NCAA just waited until we got Watford! They’re haterz!”

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That’s a tough break for Reuben. I was hoping he could clear up his off the field issues, have a stronger support system in place, and finally live up to his ginormous potential:

On the third snap of the first set of 11-on-11 drills during Washington’s offseason program on Monday, Foster suffered an injury to his left leg and was carted off the practice field.

The Redskins have not announced the nature of Foster’s injury. Initial reports on Monday said Foster had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, and the Washington Post reported on Tuesday it had confirmed that diagnosis with team sources.

Foster will miss the entire 2019 season.

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There is an absolutely fascinating development going on in DIII’s MIAC. This was part of my old stomping grounds, so I’m very familiar with these Northern Plains/Minnesota programs. It concerns the St. Thomas athletics programs...all of them.

The MIAC has decided to kick out the Johnnies for competitive parity in its non-scholarship conference. SI frames this as “STU is just too good! Whoo! Kicking out the Johnnies to own the Libz!”

But at the end of the day, St. Thomas was one of the seven founding members of the conference and is now being told it’s too good and has to leave at the end of spring 2021.

Why ever try at anything when being awesome can backfire on you in such an aggressive way?

Yes, there’s “being awesome” like Mt. Union and UW-Whitewater traditionally are in a few sports, then there’s “ringing up St. Olaf 97-0” and “throttling Hamline 84-0 with starters in the second half.” And that’s what was going on here.

If it were just football, that would be one thing. But, among private Catholic schools, St. Thomas has a larger enrollment than Creighton and Xavier; it has almost as many students as St. Louis U and just 2300 fewer students than Notre Dame. Yet, rather than move to a scholarship model like literally every other comparable school, STU stays in D3 with its huge enrollment and as a result of more money, more students, more resources, has dominated literally every sport for over a decade.

Football’s emergence helped the Tommies sweep the MIAC men’s and women’s All-Sports competition the last 11 years, and they currently lead both categories again. Since 2013-14, the Tommies have amassed 72 conference titles, far more than the next closest schools, Gustavus Adolphus (16) and Carleton (10).

Fascinating read above, especially that bottom link from the Minneapolis Post which details D3’s history and the other background issues underlying the MIAC’s removal of the Johnnies.

Which, leads us to today’s question:

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I’m taking the over, y’all.

Oddsmakers at MyBookie set the over/under of Saban’s retirement at 5.5 more seasons.

Saban’s current contract runs through the 2025 season. Those odds project that Saban will retire in 2023 or 2024, just before the contract ends, but after every current Alabama freshman has exhausted his college eligibility.

MyBookie also created a prop bet that allows wagering on exactly what year Saban will retire...

Yesterday we were talking about this offline: Alabama is set to play at Morgantown, West Virginia on September 5, 2026, and then faces the ‘Eers in Tuscaloosa the following year. That puts Saban at 74-going-on-75 for the first game. At this point in his career, he can do what he wants. He’s healthy as a mule. And, we really suspect, since Alabama reached to schedule this home-and-and home series just this year, that it is Nick Saban who wants to make good in front of both of his hometown crowds.

So, hit me up around January 2028...maybe.

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We have another countdown coming, Alabama softball in primetime, and a baseball year-in-review later. But, for now, enjoy.