DALLAS -- New school.

Another team.

Different state -- practically a different world.

Richard Mullany's July was a head-spinning move from the west coast into the belly of college football hysteria. A last-minute graduate transfer from Oregon State to Alabama, the cross-country move presented a new-world dilemma.

The recent advent of graduate transfers brings a new dynamic to an established roster. They aren't like the fresh high school imports and their peers have already built those bonds like the ones left behind on that last team.

That moment hit Mullaney not long after arriving in Tuscaloosa.

"Coming here with just two bags and not even a place to live, I didn't know what to expect," the Thousand Oaks, Calif., product said. "It was like the first week, I called my parents and was like 'What did I just get myself into?' It was a lot."

That apprehension faded fast as Mullaney became a key veteran presence in a youthful passing game with a first-year starting quarterback. His 34 catches rank third on the Alabama team with 308 receiving yards. At least one catch was recorded in each game this year with a season-high seven receptions for 61 yards and two touchdowns against Ole Miss. Quarterback Jake Coker often looks his way on third downs when Alabama needs a play to continue a drive.

Fittingly, it was Coker and a few others who put him at ease with the new surroundings. Just a year earlier, the quarterback was in the same position after graduating from Florida State and stepping into a whole different world.