Zone read: If other SEC schools are going to multiyear scholarships, so will Nick Saban

The Zone Read is your morning college football primer to make you seem like the smartest person at the water cooler even if you're not.

Nick Saban has finally caved.

After some initial moans and groans about four-year scholarships, Saban said Tuesday he is in favor of offering four-year-grants for prospects for the 2013 class and beyond.

"We're going to offer four-year scholarships," Saban told TideSports.com. "Our whole conference is going to do it, all the schools, I think.

"And we're happy to do it.

[ Related: SEC spring football preview: New teams, new holes to fill ]

This, less than a week after Alabama was one of 60 schools to vote the measure down in a NCAA Division I-wide vote. The vote passed by the slimmest of margins much to the chagrin of 60 percent of Division I programs that voted to rescind it.

"Last year, it was something that was tabled," Saban said. "Then there was the vote to rescind. We just wanted to know exactly what the rule would be before we made a comment. What if we had started offering four-year scholarships and then the rule had been changed back?"

Of course Saban had to get on board with multiyear scholarships after Auburn and Florida started offering them and subsequently claiming a slight a recruiting advantage. Only Tennessee, LSU and Texas A&M voted to rescind multiyear scholarships.

If the entire SEC does move to multiyear scholarships, it would join the Big Ten as the only other conference to do so.

Like taking candy from a conference: Missouri and Texas A&M have to feel like they got off easy after paying just $12.41 million each to get out of their Big 12 contracts and begin their new lives as members of the SEC. The number is nearly $6 million less than what West Virginia paid to break away from the Big East and join the Big 12 — and the Big 12 opted to fit half of that bill.

Texas A&M actually receives considerations from the Big 12, leaving its tab at a paltry $9.31 million.

Shockingly, when talk of these defections started, rumors swirled that both schools would have to pay upwards of $30 million each for their release.

Prior to the 2011 season, Nebraska and Colorado escaped the Big 12 by paying $9.25 million and $6.86 million respectively.

Seems like the Big 12 needs to work on its negotiating skills.

So, you're saying there's a chance: Naashon Hughes doesn't care if he doesn't have a scholarship offer to Texas. He committed there anyway. Hughes, a linebacker from Harker Heights (Texas), had full scholarship offers from LSU, Baylor and South Carolina, but couldn't deny his love for the Longhorns.

Unfortunately, the Longhorns did not reciprocate and instead accepted an offer from Deoundrei Davis, the top linebacker in the state.

Still, Hughes will grayshirt and hopefully win the Longhorns affections in 2014.

Sticky notes: South Florida freshman offensive lineman David "Boo" Simon was released from the hospital Monday after he was admitted for a series of Grand mal seizures he suffered last week. The cause of his seizures is still unknown... RG3 poses in a Baylor uniform, probably for the last time (single tear), for his EA Sports NCAA Football 13 photo shoot… Temple officials are meeting today about whether to make the leap (see what I did there with it being Feb. 29) to the Big East…. And why isn't Howard Schnellenberger on the recently released Hall of Fame ballot?

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