Alabama lost its top three receivers from last season, including first-round pick Amari Cooper, but the Tide might have received some help in the form of an Oregon State transfer.
Richard Mullaney, who graduated from Oregon State in the spring and has one season of eligibility remaining, announced on Twitter that he will play his final season at Alabama. Mullaney (6-foot-3, 209 pounds), who is from the Los Angeles area, was in line to be an important part of Oregon State's receiver rotation, and he likely will play the same role for the Tide.
Mullaney missed six games last season with a fractured elbow and finished with 18 receptions; he had 83 career catches for the Beavers, with five touchdowns. He doesn't have elite speed, but he is a dependable possession receiver who runs solid routes and has good hands.
Alabama's leading returning wide receiver is junior Chris Black, who had 15 receptions last season and has 23 in his career. The only other returning wide receiver with double-digit receptions is sophomore ArDarius Stewart, who had 12 catches last season.
Sophomore Robert Foster -- who was a consensus national top-20 prospect in the 2013 recruiting class -- has the talent to be a go-to receiver, but needs to show he can handle the responsibility. He redshirted as a true freshman, then had six catches in nine games last season. He did have a strong spring, and perhaps he begins to live up to the high school hype this fall.
While Mullaney isn't a star, his presence helps the Alabama receiving corps. Alabama also is looking for a new starting quarterback. The Tide also was looking for a quarterback heading into the 2014 season, and Blake Sims emerged as a 3,400-yard passer. But Sims had Cooper as an established top target. The Tide's new quarterback won't have that luxury.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.