Given the loss of life and sheer physical devastation in Tuscaloosa in the past week, football has obviously been placed on the proverbial back burner. Nevertheless, despite the tragedy, football indeed continues and moves forward with the 2011 season opener now less than four months away.
To that end, Nick Saban held a press conference this afternoon where he discussed, in part, football-related issues, and one of those issues was the ongoing status of rising redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Brandon Moore. Per the Tuscaloosa News:
The status of suspended defensive lineman Brandon Moore, whose suspension cost him all but the first two of 15 spring practices, remains uncertain.
"I have not talked to Brandon. We had plans to talk to all these guys when school was out. The fact that school got cancelled has made it a little more difficult," Saban said. "So the plan now is to wait until grades come in to further assess the situation. But he's suspended indefinitely."
There were quite a few rumors earlier in the day that Moore was transferring to a junior college, and nothing in Saban's comments explicitly addressed that possibility. That certainly seems like a legitimate possibility moving forward, and Moore's mind may be made up in that regard (again, Saban said he had not spoken with him). At the very least, though, it seems that no definitive decision about his future at UA has been made by Saban and the coaching staff at this point.
However, regardless of whether Moore stays or goes, the possibility of him becoming a meaningful contributor in Tuscaloosa in the near-to-intermediate future seems almost non-existent. He was barely able to get on the field a year ago even in garbage time, and he has already been passed over on the depth chart by players who arrived on campus in subsequent recruiting classes. While obviously we hope for the best for both Moore and 'Bama moving forward, truth be told there looks to be no great gain if he stays and no great loss if he leaves.