Richard Mullaney Transferring From Oregon State

Richard Mullaney will be leaving Oregon St. after he gets his diploma tomorrow.

After successful completion of spring term finals this week, Mullaney will get his degree in in human development and family sciences at tomorrow's commencement, and with that in hand, he will then be eligible to play immediately for his final season at any institution under NCAA rules for transfer of those who have graduated.

The 6' 3" wide receiver from Thousand Oaks California redshirted his freshman season in 2011, then lettered the next 3 years, catching 83 passes for 1,160 yards, with 5 touchdowns.

"OSU and Reser Stadium will always be a special place for me, and I'm very thankful to Beaver Nation for all their support," Mullaney said.

But he struggled at times to stay on the field, and last season ended early due to an injury.

Mullaney wasn't completely healthy at the start of spring ball, as had been the case a year ago, but got back on the field after the spring break break in spring drills. But even though he caught a touchdown pass in the spring game, above, Mullaney seemed to be an odd-man out in the receiver rotation revamped for new head coach Gary Andersen's spread offense that frequently sees quarterback Seth Collins take off, and requires a lot of down-field blocking by the receivers, something Mullaney's long but thin 210 lb. frame wasn't the best suited for.

"I want to thank Richard for his contributions during this coaching transition," Andersen said. "It his choice to transfer, and we will support him as he moves into the next phase of his life."

"I also want to thank Coach Andersen for his support in my decision. I wish him and all of my former teammates the best of luck this season," Mullaney added.

Victor Bolden was already the leader of the returning receiving corp, with Jordan Villamin, possibly a rejuvenated Malik Gilmore, Hunter Jarmon, Xavier Hawkins, and Rahmel Dockery all in the mix for catches, so overall depth is still good.

Mullaney's departure takes a measure of experience away from a wide receiver group that was already quite limited in that regard, but if he wasn't going to be all that productive, the loss isn't that impactful, as its still the deepest position group on the team.

UPDATE:

There was no word on possible destinations for Mullaney at the time he announced his plan to transfer, but it became apparent shortly thereafter that something had been in the works at Alabama.

Mullaney visited the Crimson Tide campus on Monday, and announced he was headed there on Tuesday.

Alabama Offensive Coordinator Lane Kiffen had recruited Mullaney out of high school when he was still coach at USC, and not only knew of Mullaney's abilities, he had a prior relationship. With the top 3 WRs from last year all gone from Tuscaloosa, when former 5-star recruit Cam Sims suffered an ACL tear this spring, Kiffen suddenly had an unplanned hole in his depth chart that needed a short term quick solution, and Mullaney was it.

Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com