Jumbo Package: Rejoice! For this is the day Cornbread returns!

Yesterday was Saban’s Monday presser, and with the Tide opening its home SEC slate on CBS, he talked up the Rebels as a reincarnation of the 2001 Miami Hurricanes.

I know Ole Miss had a tough loss last week. But they’ve played well in a couple of games and had a couple of good wins. The quarterback’s playing really well for them. The backup quarterback came in and played even better in the game last week. They’ve got a really good runner. They’ve got some really good skill players at receiver. Got good specialists, good return guys. Their defense has been al ot more aggressive this year in terms of creating negative plays, sacks, tackles for loss. Those types of things. This is a well-coached team and this is a team that we’ve struggled with some in the past. We’re certainly going to have to have a great week of preparation to be able to play well in this game.”

This is some Lou Holtz-quality poor-mouthing.

Verbatim transcript right here.

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The Alabama coaches named their seven players of the week following ‘Bama’s demolition of USM. And, folks, there is a great name to see atop the list:

Najee Harris

Led all Tide backs with 14 carries for a season-high 114 yards on the ground
Had a five-yard touchdown reception for Alabama’s third touchdown of the day
Averaged 7.9 yards per carry with half of his rushes resulting in a first down or touchdown for UA

If Alabama wants to have the season that it should, getting touches for Najee, and keeping him involved, is an imperative.

The rest of the top performers are here.

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A breakdown of the Tide’s huge QB get, Bryce Young, after flipping from USC to Alabama:

“Obviously when you land a player of that magnitude at that position,” Orr told Host Gary Harris about the significance of five-star quarterback Bryce Young’s verbal commit to Alabama. “It’s a quarterback game now, no question about it.”

”You’ve got to have a big time player,” Orr continued. “I think he certainly has that kind of ability. You watch him on tape, he’s played against some of the top teams in the country and he doesn’t seem affected by the competition at all.”

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This is tanking that the Dolphins would be proud of: Houston’s D’Eriq King, mired in the midst of a lost season in Houston, originally said that he would sit out to preserve his redshirt in contemplation of a transfer. But, after talking to Holgo, he’s simply going to sit out the rest of this year...then play again for Houston next season, with a better Houston team.

This comes after a report from the Houston Chronicle that the senior would be looking to transfer out of Houston by preserving his redshirt just four games into the season.

”I came here to play football for the University of Houston and that is not changing,” King said in a statement. “After carefully thinking through this process with my family and coach Holgorsen, I have decided the opportunity to redshirt this season gives me the best chance to develop as a player, earn my degree and set me up for the best success in the future. I’m looking forward to being part of the success of this program going forward.”

This is a serious, serious mess that no one saw coming. A guy quits on this year so as to have better pro prospects next season...with the same program? This is one loophole that is going to have to be rectified PDQ by Indianapolis.

More to the point, if you were King’s teammates, why on earth would you trust this guy to have your back next season? This isn’t just sitting out a bowl game; he gave up on you and 75% of your season. You suck too much for him. So, he’s quitting on the other 84 players on that roster for his own benefit. Maybe next year, you’ll be better, or at least good enough for him to descend from on-high and grace you with his (marginal) skills — and you’re supposed welcome him back with open arms.

That’s not going to happen.

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REJOICE! For this is the day that Cornbread returns!

After serving four games for some herbal naughtiness, Deonte Brown is eligible once again, though a starting spot is not guaranteed. It’s a different, more physical line with him in there. I’m pretty sure he’ll play his way into the rotation sooner rather than later.

I’m drooling at the thought of running game packages that include Womack, Dickerson, Wills, and Cornbread — Najee and the Robinsons may not even get touched until they see the free safety.

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Ha Ha certainly landed on his feet.

After being released by a Redskins defense that couldn’t lose quality players in the secondary, a jilted Clinton-Dix made his presence felt on the Deadskins first series — housing one for a Pick 6 against his old team for his first NFL score.

TOTO domination, and he wound up playing with the best defender in the NFL...Khalil Mack is pretty good too.

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The NCAA is about to drop a rock on the Kansas hoops program:

The University of Kansas received its notice of allegations from the NCAA on Monday, which includes potentially devastating allegations toward the men’s basketball program, according to multiple sources.

Kansas has been charged with lack of institutional control, three Level I violations in men’s basketball and there is a head coach responsibility charge against coach Bill Self, according to multiple sources.

If this is what KU got, then imagine what the Notice of Allegations for Arizona will look like? If proven — and the NCAA relied upon court documents to do their work for them — then Kansas is toast for a decade and Bill Self’s career should be over. It won’t be, of course, but that’s one more indictment of college basketball culture.

Still up: NC State, Auburn, LSU, Louisville and others — all dropping on various ADs’ desks as the season begins.

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From yesterday’s practice notes:

As expected, outside linebacker Terrell Lewis (hyperextended knee) and nose tackle D.J. Dale (patellar tendon strain) weren’t going through drills. Lewis was dressed out for practice but was off to the side during outside linebacker drills. Nick Saban expects both Lewis and Dale to return to practice Tuesday. “We’re hopeful they’ll be ready to play in this game,” Saban said. With Dale not practicing, Phidarian Mathis was the nose tackle with the first group during drills.

P/PK Will Reichard is still listed as somewhere between questionable and day-to-day. Hip flexor injuries in kickers aren’t ones you rush back. And, let’s be honest, if Alabama has to punt or needs the kicking points against this woeful Rebels team, there are worse problems in front of the Tide.

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The result won’t shock you: LSU football player sees sexual assault charges dropped early in the season and is up for reinstatement by the school. But, man, this details in this read are going to make you queasy: OL Ed Ingram molested two girls, both under 14, for a full year, only to see charges dropped for...reasons. No, really, no one knows why the charges were dropped. Any statutory issues aside, the conduct described here was rape. Pure and simple. The contact occurred until Ingram was 17. And the DA won’t reveal why Ingram got a golden parachute, or why the attorney general of Texas himself had sealed the entire criminal case.

Ingram was LSU’s starter at RG in 2017. Last season, he was suspended pending the outcome of this case...which has now disappeared. All that’s left now is a rubber-stamp determination by LSU, and Ingram will likely be back in uniform before the Alabama game.

I’m all for dropping bar fights, disturbing the peace, simple weed possession etc., and not just for players, in general for most first-time non-violent offenders. But this isn’t a case of beer muscles gone awry or college kids doing dumb stuff and making bad decisions.

He’s not alone, either. Tennessee DB Bryce Young had another DV charge dropped against him yesterday. Why another? Because another woman, in another state, had also pressed charges against him in 2018 for domestic assault.

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It has come to this...open discussions of Jim Harbaugh’s buyout. Hate to see that, don’t you?

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More today coming up: we have some Voluntears, Domer Angst, Piggy Mourning, and Michigan Man meltdown in the Meltdown, and of course Random Thoughts.