Nick Saban had never seen anything like it.
"Not that I can remember," he told his radio show audience last November.
Week after week, the Alabama coach watched his vast linebacker corps shrivel until it was threadbare. A wave of injuries had compromised the unit, forcing inexperienced reserves to assume bigger roles during the Crimson Tide's run to a national championship.
Some, including VanDarius Cowan, even had their redshirts removed.
Now, he is gone, too.
Cowan was dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules, the school announced Monday.
It would be irresponsible to characterize Cowan's loss as significant based on his limited contributions.