Greg Bryant Suspended: Latest Details and Reaction Surrounding Notre Dame RB

Notre Dame will be without its second-leading rusher when the 2015 college football season kicks off, as junior running back Greg Bryant has reportedly been suspended for the first four games of the upcoming campaign.

According to Tom Loy of 247Sports, the Delray Beach, Florida, native will miss the first month of the Fighting Irish's season due to an undisclosed violation of team rules.

Loy's report was later confirmed by Pete Sampson of Irish Illustrated on Scout.com.

Bryant is coming off a sophomore season that saw him rush for 289 yards and three touchdowns. He also averaged 5.4 yards per carry, which was tops on the team among those with at least 50 totes.

Despite his solid performance in 2014, Bryant still figured to enter 2015 as Notre Dame's No. 2 back behind junior Tarean Folston, who led the Irish with 889 yards on the ground last season.

Despite a lack of depth at the running back position aside from Folston and Bryant, JC Shurburtt of 247Sports believes Notre Dame can get along just fine without the talented rusher for the first four games of the season:

One person who may not feel the same, though, is Notre Dame running backs coach Autry Denson. Per JJ Stankevitz of CSNChicago.com, Denson believes the sky is the limit for Bryant due to his talent and level of commitment on the field.

"I don't think you can place a ceiling on anybody that's willing to work," Denson said. "And that's the great thing about it. He has a great work ethic and I don't want to place a ceiling on him."

While Denson will have to get along without Bryant for the opening month, every indication is that he'll be back in the fold immediately following the suspension, as Bryant does not intend to transfer, according to Sampson.

With Bryant out of action for four games, not only will there be more pressure on Folston to carry the load, but expectations will also be higher for quarterback Malik Zaire, who is the unquestioned starter after Everett Golson's transfer to Florida State.

Being without a player of Bryant's caliber is far from ideal, but if the Irish are able to come away from the first four games with a solid record, then his absence may be a blessing in disguise since it will allow others to step up and make a mark on head coach Brian Kelly's team.

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