Keiwone Malone Transferring to Memphis

Another day, another transfer. Not that this one has not expected for some time now, but nevertheless according to various reports now former UA wide receiver Keiwone Malone is transferring to Memphis. Per the Tuscaloosa News:

Suspended University of Alabama wide receiver Keiwone Malone will transfer to the University of Memphis, according to his former high school coach.

Malone, along with UA defensive end Darrington Sentimore, was suspended earlier this summer for a violation of team rules. The nature of Malone's rules violation is unclear. The transfer will send Malone, who was a four-star recruit in UA's recruiting class of 2010, back to his hometown.

The final destination isn't particularly surprising here given that Malone is basically just moving back home, and while we all hoped that he would find a way to stick around in Tuscaloosa, truth be told in Nick Saban parlance, "suspended" almost always means the exit is imminent, and that holds true again with Malone. On a personal level, I hate to see Malone go because (1) he looked promising in the spring, and (2) he was one of my favorite recruits from the 2010 class after he gave the proverbial middle finger to Lane Kiffin and Lance Thompson basically hours after they proclaimed a fortress was being erected around the state of Tennessee.

On the other hand, while Malone did look like a solid player moving forward, it's hard to see his impact being much of a loss for 'Bama, either short-term or long-term. Even without Malone, UA still has no less than twelve wide receivers on scholarship moving into fall camp, and at least six of those players have the same basic physical skill set that Malone brought to the table (i.e. small speedsters who don't bring a physical presence but do bring quickness on the outside).

In any event, we still hate to see Malone go, though I suppose we'll always have have the middle finger to Tennessee to remember fondly. Best of luck to Malone at Memphis.

Editor's Note: There is no official word on the future of Darrington Sentimore just yet, but I imagine we'll probably get some news about him transferring elsewhere in the near future.