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The Florida Gators’ football program is under NCAA investigation.

The investigation has been underway since at least the summer. On June 9, the NCAA sent UF President Ben Sasse a notice of inquiry. That’s a formal document enforcement staff sends to schools alerting them of the investigation before interviewing any school employees or athletes.

The Tampa Bay Times requested the letter in October. The request was initially denied but fulfilled Friday after inquiries from the Times’ legal counsel at Thomas & LoCicero.

“We have been and will continue to cooperate with the NCAA,” Gators spokesperson Steve McClain said. “We hold ourselves to high standards of excellence and integrity on and off the field. Because we follow NCAA policies about maintaining confidentiality, we are unable to offer additional comments.”

The specific nature of the investigation and potential violations are not specified in the document.

The Gator Standard ain’t what it used to be.

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UPDATE:   The cherry on top of the sundae…

The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday joined a multi-state lawsuit challenging the NCAA’s transfer eligibility rules, specifically in regard to multi-time transfers being required to sit out a year-in-residence before returning to competition.

The original lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia in December, was brought forth by seven states’ attorneys general and led by Ohio. It argued that the NCAA’s multi-time transfer rule served as an illegal restraint on college athletes under the Sherman Antitrust Act by hindering athletes’ ability to sell their name, image and likeness (NIL) and control their education. In addition to the DOJ, attorneys general from Minnesota, Mississippi, Virginia and the District of Columbia also joined on Thursday.

I don’t think I need to tell you who’s gonna come out on the winning side of this argument.

The NCAA’s problem here is that its position lacks any logical basis.  If you’re going to take the stance that college athletes aren’t employees, how can you impose a form of a non-compete clause on their right to change schools?

Remember, too, that scholarship costs are basically a bookkeeping entry for schools.

Honestly, it shouldn’t be that traumatic. The facilities, among the nation’s best, are still there. The framework, aka The Process, is baked into how they go about their business. Hell, Saban is still there to provide consulting support.

DeBoer is a good hire. Offensively, I think they’ve upgraded schemewise. After a misfire on retaining Robinson, DeBoer looks to have signed an excellent replacement at DC.

Yes, the portal has proven to be disruptive and ‘Bama has taken some hits on the recruiting trail. But you shouldn’t overlook how deep a talent pool DeBoer still has to draw from. The idea that the transition has left the cupboard bare is ludicrous to comtemplate.

Alabama ain’t turning into Auburn or Tennessee tomorrow, in other words.

What has rocked the Tide fan base’s world is the realization that Alabama has been what it’s been over the past 15 or so years isn’t because it’s Alabama. It’s because Nick Saban is the GOAT. The idea that a football program could lose a head coach of his stature without missing a beat simply isn’t realistic.

But when you’ve spent all that time in a cocoon convincing yourself that your program is immune simply because it’s Alabama, by damn, it’s a real shock to the system to discover that you’ve suddenly taken on the problems and consequences that all your peers face. It kind of reminds me of what the typical educated man of the Middle Ages must have faced when presented with proof for the first time that the Earth revolved around the sun instead of vice versa.

Alabama’s going to be fine, in other words. It’s just that be fine at a lower level than they were under Saban. Alabama the program, that is. The fan base is likely to be another story.

And speaking of crayon boxes, Seth Emerson’s come up with another good Bobo take with this($$):

By the points-per-game metric, Mike Bobo-coordinated offenses now account for two of the three highest-scoring teams in school history. Anybody still criticizing Bobo’s credentials or capabilities is not to be taken seriously on the subject anymore.

Now, if anyone wants to say Bobo’s offenses couldn’t finish in the biggest moment and points out that he has a championship ring as an analyst and not as the coordinator, that is a fair criticism. But in a year where Georgia’s defense wasn’t as good as expected, the team was in the position it was — unbeaten — in large part because of Bobo and its offense.

As I’ve posted before, the 2019 SECCG was Smart’s road to Damascus moment, when he realized (just like Saban did) that the old tried and true weren’t going to get the Georgia program where it ultimately needed to go.  In this day and age, if you want to be elite, you’ve got to have an offense that can score.  And as Seth points out, that’s what they did:

• Fourth nationally in yards per play for the third straight year (7.3)
• Fifth nationally in total yards per game (496.5)
• Fifth nationally in scoring offense (40.1)

Couple that with an excellent defense and special teams, and you can go a long way.   That was done with a new starting quarterback and offensive coordinator, by the way, both of whom are returning for the ’24 season.

Couple that with plenty of returning experience on the offensive line, even with the losses of Van Pran and Mims and the receiving corps (yes, McConkey will be missed) and you’ve got a solid base to start with.

Are there questions?  Of course.  Bowers was a unicorn, so it’s not as if there’s going to be a seamless transition in the wake of his departure.  (As that famous line from Moneyball goes, I guess they’ll hope to recreate his stats in the aggregate.)  You could also say the running back room looks a trifle sketchy, based on the health situation.

But that’s where I like the rest of the offeseason effort.  The staff has done a terrific job mining the transfer portal for exactly the kind of talent the roster needs to proceed.  Etienne is exactly what the doctor ordered to stabilize the running back group.  It looks like they’ve found someone to step into Ladd’s shoes, as well as a tall receiver capable of fighting for 50/50 balls.

I’m not about to proclaim we’re on the verge of seeing a major improvement on the offensive side of the ball this coming season — hardly likely with Bowers gone — but I’m not worried about a major step back, either.  Mike Bobo should still have some fun.  And so should we.

Of course, that means you’re opening the door to schools directly contracting with recruits over the terms of their signing and that may not pass the smell test in certain quarters.  But it gives college coaches more control over roster management and recruits have greater say so over their future, which ain’t bad.

Kudos, Kirbs.

Yeah, sure, man.

What makes this even more impressive is that you know Sexton’s the first person who got Saban’s heads up about retirement, allowing him to set all the other ducks in a row for his clients.