Mailbag: Nick Saban's senseless mistake blew up in Alabama's face

Published Mar. 30, 2015 12:15 p.m. ET

Bruce Feldman

After about a year away, it's time to bring back the mailbag.

New website. New day of the week. It'll be the Monday Mailbag -- at least through the rest of the offseason.

As always, if you have questions, send them to me via Twitter to @BruceFeldmanCFB.

Taylor is the 6-foot-4, 340-pound junior college defensive tackle Nick Saban signed this winter amid much controversy; the one the Bama coach said "was the kind of guy that deserved a second chance."

What kind of guy did he mean? Well, one who SEC offenses would need to double team to keep from crushing the pocket. The kind who probably could prevent his defense from giving up over 500 yards a game like it did in the final three games of last season. Problem is, Taylor already had his second chance and that was before another SEC program, Georgia, booted him off its team. For such a disturbing incident, you wouldn't have thought another top program would touch him, much less one like Saban's that can have just about any D-line prospect in the country.

In spite of all that, Bama still signed Taylor after he spent the 2014 season at Copiah-Lincoln junior college in Mississippi. Saban was asked about Taylor at his signing day press conference and spoke about how it was a "university decision," but in truth the massive lineman was coming to Alabama because Saban wanted him there.

That decision by Saban -- and Bama -- blew up in their faces over the weekend when Taylor was arrested on domestic violence charges for the second time Saturday night.

On Sunday, Saban said in a statement: "Jonathan Taylor has been dismissed from the team and is no longer a part of our program. This will still need to go through the legal process, but when he was given an opportunity here, it was under strict guidelines and we made it clear there was a zero-tolerance policy."

Hindsight is easy, but seriously, I don't get why Saban didn't show zero tolerance in the first place given what Taylor had been booted for by Richt last summer. Making this look even worse is this: Over the winter, Saban also said he and his staff had done their due diligence on Taylor. However, district attorney Ken Mauldin and Richt each said they were not contacted by anyone at Alabama about Taylor, according to the Macon Telegraph. Given the severity of what Taylor was arrested for in Georgia, it sounds rather sketchy to have not at least probed things further.

Rolling the dice on Taylor also sounded dubious in light of a point Saban tried to hammer home last summer while at SEC Media Days when it came to discipline issues. He noted that when he has kicked players off teams, "There's not one player ... that ever went anywhere and amounted to anything and accomplished anything, playing or academically." Given that, it seemed odd he'd touch one that Richt kicked off. But he did.

From @RK7443: What opening weekend game are you most looking forward to?

There isn't a blockbuster matchup on opening week of two projected top-10 teams. On paper, 'Bama-Wisconsin is probably the most compelling matchup. The Tide will have almost an entirely new offense and also may need to replace four of their top five tacklers from last season (I say "may" because the college career of DB Geno Smith is now in jeopardy after his arrest last weekend for a second DUI). With or without Smith, the Tide should figure to be a preseason top 10. Saban is still there, as is an imposing D-line and stud RB Derrick Henry. I expect the Badgers to be somewhere in the 20-30 range as they try to replace Melvin Gordon and begin the Paul Chryst era. Their vertical passing game is suspect, and that's been one of the things that teams have had some success exploiting against Bama.

A game that I think will pit two teams that have top-15 potential is ASU-Texas A&M. Both have dynamic offenses. Strong-armed QB Mike Bercovici will test new DC John Chavis' Aggies D, while a couple of Arizona kids -- QB Kyle Allen and stud freshman WR Christian Kirk -- figure to give the Sun Devils problems (that is unless touted true freshman QB Kyler Murray beats Allen out).

Beyond that there are some other intriguing matchups. Chris Petersen returns to Boise to face his old school on Friday night. Talented transfer QB Vernon Adams makes his Oregon debut against his old school, Eastern Washington. I'm also curious how Louisville's Bobby Petrino does against one of his old schools, Auburn. Two others on the radar: Texas visiting a Notre Dame team that has top-10 talent and Ohio State and all the Buckeyes QBs against the one team that beat them last year, Virginia Tech. Lane Stadium should be a very fun place to be that Monday night. Can't wait for all of it.

From @76Gibson2010: Who replaces Hundley as starting QB for the Bruins?

The Bruins have everyone back on offense except Brett Hundley at QB. That's a big hole to fill. Just ask USC -- Hundley killed the Trojans the past few years. UCLA's QB battle will be one of the most interesting in all of college football this year. Veteran Jerry Neuheisel knows the offense and has proven himself to teammates with a clutch road win rally at Texas last season. Don't undersell either of those things. Sophomore Asiantii Woulard can run and has a powerful arm but is still very, very raw.

The one who I think will emerge with the job by October if not sooner is early enrollee Josh Rosen. The 6-4, 210-pounder was the nation's top HS QB recruit in 2015.

I spent a lot of time around Rosen while working on The QB. (His story is fascinating and is chronicled in the last couple parts of the book.) He is a very sharp kid, with good feet and a terrific arm. One of the Elite 11 coaches who worked with Rosen a lot told me when he watched the young quarterback he thought that is what Troy Aikman looked like when he was in high school. From what I've been told by people at UCLA, Rosen has impressed his teammates already with his focus and determination. That bodes well as does the fact that he's arrived early to compete this spring. His development will be one of the big storylines as the Bruins kick off their spring practice starting Tuesday morning.

From @cpelli: How many wins do you expect out of Michigan in their first season [under Jim Harbaugh]?

The energy and grit Jim Harbaugh will bring is bound to make a difference in a hurry, I predict. After spending much of the past year under the toxic cloud of a coach on the hot seat, where a defeatist attitude is very hard to overcome, it figures to be the opposite in 2015. Michigan was very young last year and now will return the most experienced group in the Big Ten with 16 starters back. There are some pieces for Harbaugh to work with, and he is a superb coach. He worked wonders at Stanford with less talent than he's inherited.

The big question is who will be his new QB? If the Big Ten approves the waiver on grad transfer Jake Rudock, a two-year starter at Iowa, it'll be the former Hawkeye. He has proven to be solid, doesn't make a lot of mistakes and will be a good fit for the offense. Remember, Wolverines passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch really wanted Rudock when he was the Miami OC and the QB was coming out of high school.

UM's non-conference schedule is challenging. They open at a good Utah team and also face Oregon State and BYU, which should be a top-25 team. The fourth game against UNLV is the only one that figures to be relatively easy. The good news is their toughest Big Ten games are at home: Michigan State and Ohio State. My hunch is they go 8-5.

From @Mwhite_pnw: Do you think the signing of QB Vernon Adams puts Oregon back in the playoff mix next year?

Yes, I do. Adams isn't as fast as Marcus Mariota, but he is really slick at extending plays and buying time. He's also fast enough (in the 4.6 range) to run the ball enough to keep defenses honest. But don't underestimate his arm. A few days after I returned from seeing him up in Washington state (for our FOX Sports feature on him), I had drinks with an NFL scout and talked about him. The guy was a big fan of Adams and said he threw one of the prettiest deep balls of any QB he'd seen in the past couple of years. The 5-11, 185-pounder is a big upgrade over the other guys Oregon has competing for the job -- although I do think incoming freshman Travis Waller is one to remember for down the road.

Adams will be able to utilize what will be the best collection of skill talent the Ducks have had at RB and receiver. All their backs return, led by budding star Royce Freeman, and the wideouts will be much improved since Bralon Addison is back after missing last season. With Adams, Oregon will be my pick to win the Pac-12 and make the College Football Playoff.

Bruce Feldman is a senior college football reporter and columnist forFOXSports.com and FOX Sports 1. He is also a New York Times Bestselling author. His new book, The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks, came out in October, 2014. Follow him on Twitter @BruceFeldmanCFB.