Did Saban violate NCAA rule?

BY BARRY JACKSON

bjackson@MiamiHerald.com

Another day, another Nick Saban firestorm. The latest came Tuesday when canesport.com suggested Saban broke NCAA rules when he talked with South Florida recruits last week.

So did he? A strong case could be made that he did, based on three players' accounts and NCAA bylaws. But Saban likely isn't the only coach violating the rule.

Though the NCAA declined to comment on Saban, NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn said college coaches are permitted to evaluate high school players on their campuses between April 15 and May 31, but `` no contact may occur in this evaluation.''

According to the bylaws, ``contact is any face-to-face encounter between a prospective student-athlete and their parents or guardians and an institutional staff member during which any dialogue occurs in excess of exchange of a greeting.''

Miami Krop linebacker Etienne Sabino told The Miami Herald that Saban talked with him about defensive schemes and told him he's ''the big physical type of linebacker'' Bama needs.

Saban's conversations with Miami Northwestern High juniors Marcus Fortson and Brandon Washington also could be perceived as more than a ``greeting.''

As reported in Sunday's Herald, Washington, a UM oral commitment, said Saban asked him if ''my heart was in Miami.'' Washington said he answered no. He said there's a good chance he will sign with UM but wants to visit other campuses.

Washington later told canesport.com that Saban ``was talking to me about different things, about coming to the summer camps, to come on an unofficial visit, see how things are in Alabama. He said I'm a great player.''

Fortson said he spoke to Saban for ''a few minutes'' and that Saban told him Alabama ``is a great place to get a degree.''

The NCAA wouldn't say if it would investigate the matter. But even if Saban is found to have violated NCAA rules, it likely would be deemed a ''secondary'' violation without any significant penalty. There was no comment from Saban and Alabama athletic director Mal Moore.

CHATTER

Despite precarious depth at running back, the Dolphins have shown no interest in free agents Corey Dillon and Stephen Davis and have been noncommittal with Chris Brown. Meanwhile, the team must hope third-round pick Lorenzo Booker's production matches his confidence.

Booker has called himself the ''most versatile back'' in April's draft and identified likely future Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk as a player with similar skills that he hopes to become: ``I create mismatches. That's important to line me up on a linebacker to make defenses pull their hair out.''

The question is whether Booker can carry a heavy load if Ronnie Brown is injured. ''He's natural finding a hole,'' draftnik and ex-Browns scout Russ Lande said. But ``size [5-10, 191 pounds] and durability are always going to be a huge question mark.''

• Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas makes one thing clear: ''We've got to quit looking for excuses,'' and stop fretting over ''all the drama'' like the Ricky Williams saga. After past bad breaks, Thomas admitted he would say, 'Oh, man, every year.' And now? ``I'm not going to do that anymore. I'm going to be a good leader.''

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