Kendall Sheffield has missed Alabama’s last three football practices, and Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban isn’t sure when or if the redshirt freshman cornerback will return.
Sheffield was a consensus top-five cornerback prospect in the 2015 signing class and was rated by Scout.com as a top-10 prospect overall. The Crimson Tide already are having to move on in the secondary without Maurice Smith, who recently transferred to Georgia.
“I don’t really know what Kendall Sheffield’s status is,” Saban said in a news conference after Tuesday’s two-hour practice. “We would be happy to have him back, because he’s a fine young man who already has made a lot of improvement here. We would enjoy having him be a part of the team if that’s what he chooses.”
Sheffield, a 6-foot, 188-pounder from Missouri City, Texas, signed with Alabama over Florida State, Ohio State, Southern California and Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide open their season Sept. 3 against USC.
Alabama may have the top cornerback combination in the country with redshirt sophomore Marlon Humphrey and sophomore Minkah Fitzpatrick, but depth certainly would be an issue should Sheffield transfer as well.