This is an opinion column.

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The Trump Administration’s aggressive interest in the social media activity of international students is causing panic for universities across the country.

A freeze on student visa applications went into effect in May. The State Department says it wants to take a closer look at everyone’s TikToks, or something like that. The details are sketchy. We all know the truth, of course. President Donald Trump has it out for Harvard, Columbia and Cal Berkeley.

According to recent estimates, about a million international students attend American universities every year. At Harvard, 30 percent of the student population is international. It goes without saying that the ability to attract global talent is one of the major advantages for the United States and its robust economy.

But who cares about all that? What about sports?

This week, the mailbag dives head-first into the shallow end of Trumpian revenge politics as it might relate to Auburn basketball. Plus, we’re still discussing the ongoing saga of college football’s chaotic offseason. Oh, my coffee preferences, too.

Tuesday’s column posed a simple question. How would a Supreme Dictator of College Football fix the sport? In exchange for fresh press-box coffee at SEC football games, I offered to volunteer my services. Readers mostly enjoyed my 10 steps to saving college football.

College football is great at two things these days, generating television ratings and self harm.

But we all know how the Supreme Dictator of College Football would handle Trump’s impending international student-visa backlog. We’d get Sen. Tommy Tuberville to move all the kickers, punters and Swedish tight ends to the front of the application line.

Doug in Cullman, Ala., writes …

Agree wholeheartedly with your list, especially No.9. Nothing to do with football, but I was wondering if the State Department’s freeze on interviewing foreign students and issuing visas will affect the big Serbian kid from making it to Auburn?

I’m an Alabama fan but enjoy watching good basketball. We are lucky to have the programs we have now at both schools.

ANSWER: Does Alabama coach Nate Oats have any friends in the State Department? If so, then Auburn coach Bruce Pearl should probably start sweating his decision to sign Serbian 20-year-old Filip Jović.

Jović is a 6-9 stretch forward who is already being projected as a potential second-round pick for the 2026 NBA Draft. I’m excited about Jović and how he could play the pick-and-roll with returning Auburn star Tahaad Pettiford.

Has college basketball ever been better than right now? Certainly not in the state of Alabama with the Crimson Tide and Tigers making back-to-back Final Fours. I love how the buzz is carrying over into the offseason, too. That’s a good sign for the sport’s momentum in Alabama.

Expect the trend of international basketball players at the collegiate level to continue. Thanks to the NCAA’s new rules on amateurism (it’s pro ball with tax breaks), international players can now have professional careers abroad and still play collegiately in the U.S.

The State Department says it’s reviewing its policy on vetting international students. Hopefully the current hold on student-visa applications doesn’t bleed into the second and third weeks of June. That’s around the time that applications start rolling in. I reached out to Auburn about Jović visa application status, but the school never got back to me.

Jović has been a professional for four years in Europe. I’ve watched his highlight clips and love his game. Most recently, he played for the club that produces the large majority of the NBA’s Serbian prospects. I am in no way worried about Jović’s visa being held up by the State Department. Athletes get priority status, right?

As for everyone else, these are troubling times. Applications are being dropped. Universities are in the dark. Imagine being accepted to an American university and then being denied a student visa. On a human level, it’s heartbreaking. From an institutional level, schools like Alabama, Auburn and UAB rely on international students for funding. Hopefully Trump gets bored or distracted with his war on Harvard and moves onto something else.

My thoughts go back to my own experiences with international students. I have fond memories of hanging out at UAB’s I-House while in college. And no one had a better time in school than the international golfers.

International students contribute to the strength of the country. Just look at the SEC. No way Alabama gets to nine wins in 2024 without Australian punter James Burnip.

Sonny in Deep Gap, N.C., writes …

While you’re fixing college football, fix the stupid rule about a fumbled ball going out of bounds before the goal line or after the goal line. I mean, if the ball is fumbled, and goes out of bounds at the one-inch line, it remains in possession of the offense. But if it touches the pylon or goes into the end zone and then out of bounds, possession goes to the defense. Why is that? That does not make sense. The defense must gain control of the fumbled ball everywhere else on the field. Why not the end zone?

ANSWER: Fumbles were once a bigger part of the game. Back in the day, no one could hold onto the ball. It was nothing for teams to fumble 10 times per game. I guess I’ll answer this question with one of my own. Why should offenses be rewarded for fumbling through the end zone?

Eric in Cleveland, Tenn., writes …

I read your opinion column on a regular basis and usually come away with bad impressions. I think you are usually pessimistic and negative. However, I agree with almost everything you said in your column about fixing college football. It goes without saying that it is in trouble and it’s getting worse by the day. So, let’s elect you as the person in charge and get started on your new plan.

I especially liked your ideas of making the conferences fit geographically. I thought it absurd when the SEC brought in Missouri years ago and now look what it has led to! Also, it has NEVER been fair that Notre Dame was not in a conference. Of course, every Bama fan hates the Irish anyway so, let them eat cake.

In fact, the only thing I disagree with is expanding the playoffs to 21 teams. It minimizes the importance of the regular season.

Let me know what brand of coffee you prefer and where to send it and GOOD LUCK with your new position!

ANSWER: Let me make something black-coffee clear. Favorable impressions are for imposters. As for a Cup of Joe, I’m no snob. Anything will do. I’ll drink coffee filtered through an old sock if it’s the only thing available. Give me gas station coffee over Starbucks every time.

BE HEARD

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Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”