Alabama is set to lose yet another defensive back.
Shortly after the SEC finally granted Maurice Smith his release to transfer to Georgia, cornerback Kendall Sheffield is set to transfer, according to Gerry Hamilton of ESPN.
Hamilton reports that Sheffield has not appeared at practice this week, instead returning home to the Houston area. Nick Saban has reportedly granted Sheffield a waiver to transfer anywhere he chooses outside the SEC.
“Kendall Sheffield has not been here for last couple days,” Saban told 247 yesterday. “I don’t really know what his status is, so there’s no need to ask me. We’re happy to have him back, he’s a fine young man, he’s worked hard, he’s made a lot of improvement here. We enjoy having him be a part of the team, if that’s what he chooses, and we will continue to work with him in a positive way to help him develop personally, academically and athletically.”
Sheffield redshirted in 2015, but was running second team at cornerback in advance of the Tide’s Sept. 3 opener opposite USC.
Hailing from Missouri City, Texas, Sheffield was the No. 20 player in the country and third-ranked player in Texas in the class of 2015 according to 247Sports. In addition to following Smith out the door, Sheffield is the fourth member of the ’15 signing class to leave Tuscaloosa, joining Daylon Charlot, Adonis Thomas and Christian Bell.
The recent departures show that no matter how many talented players sign with Alabama, they can still only put 11 of them on the field at a time.