Was glad to see the NCAA showed some heart clearing embattled Memphis DT Albert Means to play this season. We did a story on him as he was going through spring practice, and Means -- the guy who was allegedly bought and sold to Alabama for a whopping $200,000 by his high school coaches -- was a mess. He pretty much felt like the whole world had betrayed him. He struggled to make eye contact with anyone. His weight was up around 370 and while you could see flashes of the talent that some said made him the top D-line recruit in the nation two years, he looked like his spirit was completely gone.

I called down to Memphis Tuesday and they said Albert is down to around 335, making strides and running with the second team. Apparently, when he got the news yesterday, the Tigers PR people say he couldn't stop smiling.

Give credit to the NCAA. They got one right this time.

·Speaking of Means' old school, the Tide. Coach Fran made another big move to infuse some speed into his lineup, shifting Kenny King, a two-year starter at DE to NT. The move enables athletic rushman Aries Monroe to get more action. With King, a bona fide pass-rushing force himself inside, it also should cause offenses more headaches because Bama DC Carl Torbush now has the flexibility to play a lot more games with his front.

"Kenny King is the type of athlete you're looking for inside," Torbush said of the 6-5, 277-pounder, "because not only is he strong and big, he's athletic enough to play defensive end."

Maybe the best barometer of just what kind of athlete the 239-pound Monroe is comes from his school-record 43.5-inch vertical this spring.

·Colorado disappointed again, but don't blame ILB Jashon Sykes this time. He had 12 tackles and a sack, and showed that he will also be a factor in the Buffs' dime package as a rush end.

Bruce Feldman covers college football for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at bruce.feldman@espnmag.com.