Where Notre Dame Turns at Running Back with Greg Bryant Ineligible

For another season, the academic ineligibility hits keep on coming for Notre Dame. 

According to Pete Sampson of Irish Illustrated, running back Greg Bryant will be ineligible for the 2015 season because of academics.  

A previous report from Tom Loy of 247Sports stated that Bryant was already slated to miss the first four games of the season because of a violation of team rules. 

Adding to the agony of it all, Bryant's father confirmed to Sampson that his son was within a letter grade in a summer course of staying eligible.

"There are certain expectations within our program that must be met on a daily basis," head coach Brian Kelly said in a statement. "Quite simply, Greg did not meet those expectations." 

It was close but unfortunately not enough for Bryant, and now the Irish proceed without their leader in yards per rush at running back (with more than 10 carries) from a year ago. Where does the offense turn now?

The clear answer is junior Tarean Folston, who actually led the team with 889 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in 2014. Folston has appeared in 25 career games, starting 10 of them last season. Folston figured to be the go-to back in '15 after leading the Irish with 175 carries. 

Player	Carries	Yards	Touchdowns
Tarean Folston	175	889	6
Greg Bryant	54	289	3
Everett Golson (QB)	114	283	8
Cam McDaniel	77	278	4

Consistency, however, hasn't been Folston's strongest quality. Last season, roughly 81 percent of Folston's rushing yards came after the midway point in October. As a freshman in 2013, Folston never had more than 47 yards until a breakout, 140-yard performance against Navy in early November. 

The point being, Folston has a history of starting slow and ending strong. While that shows promise, Folston has yet to put everything together for an entire season. 

Bryan Driskell of BlueandGold.com wrote this about Folston's projection for 2015: 

"

The expectations for Folston are clear, carry the late stretch run into the 2015 season and perform like that on a consistent basis. Folston never carried the ball more than 21 times during that stretch, so it's not like he needs 25-30 carries to get to those numbers. His vision between the tackles combines with his ability to stretch the defense and find creases on the perimeter to make him a highly effective player.

"

Beyond Folston, the Irish will have to get creative. The depth and experience simply isn't there like it is at other positions. Two freshmen, 4-stars Dexter Williams and Josh Adams, figured to see some carries anyway, and they could now be asked to be more steady contributors throughout the season. 

C.J. Prosise, a converted wide receiver, had limited carries—10, to be exact—last year, but his emergence this spring has impressed the likes of Matt Fortuna of ESPN.com and Brian Hamilton of Sports Illustrated: 

Then there's receiver Amir Carlisle. The former USC transfer has battled consistency and injury problems during his career, but he made tremendous strides this spring. "Amir Carlisle has probably had the best spring in terms of the growth at that position, understanding the position," Kelly said in April via Frank Vitovitch of uhnd.com. 

However, because the Irish are so loaded at wide receiver, now might be a good time to convert Carlisle back to his original position at running back. Carlisle is a tremendous athlete who can do great things in space, but for one reason or another, things haven't quite clicked for him yet. 

Moving forward, Bryant's absence is most felt on the depth chart. This is important in a running game made up of a committee of role players. As the season wears on, it's good to have a steady stable of backs rotating in and out of the field. It keeps everyone healthier and defenses on their toes. 

Ultimately, Notre Dame might not be able to achieve that luxury in 2015. Depth was at a premium to begin with before the rigors of the season kicked in. If the ground game is going to take pressure off first-year starting quarterback Malik Zaire, who is, in fairness, a rushing threat himself, Folston is going to have to play well early and often. Behind him, young players and converted receivers may have to help shoulder some of that load. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.