Greg Bryant Ruled Academically Ineligible by Notre Dame, Will Miss Season

Notre Dame running back Greg Bryant, who was already suspended for the first four games of 2015 because of an undisclosed violation of team rules, has been ruled academically ineligible and will miss his entire junior season.

Pete Sampson of Irish Illustrated reported the news. Bryant's father told Sampson that the Florida native needed a B-plus in a summer class to stay eligible but was only able to earn a B-minus. His future with the football program overall remains unclear.

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

Bryant commented on his status via an Instagram post on Wednesday:

On Friday, Bryant took to Instagram again:

To make matters worse, Keith Arnold of NBC Sports reported linebacker Michael Deeb and right end Mike Heurman have been medically disqualified the same day as Bryant's suspension.

Bryant rushed for 289 yards and three touchdowns last season and was expected to compete for the primary backup job behind Tarean Folston. C.J. Prosise, who has been playing a hybrid of slot receiver and running back throughout preseason workouts, will now likely step into a much bigger role carrying the ball.

“He’s a natural runner,” offensive coordinator Mike Sanford told CSNChicago.com's JJ Stankevitz in April. “He presses the line of scrimmage well, he sees things, and then he plays with good pad level, which is tough for a tall guy. I’ve been really impressed with C.J. and I just think that’s been a great storyline for our offense is just the depth that he brings and the quality he brings and the versatility that he brings to that position.”

Without Bryant, Prosise will have no choice but to make that transition successfully. The Irish will also be hurting if either Prosise or Folston goes down with an injury. Incoming freshmen Josh Adams and Dexter Williams are the only other two running backs listed on the depth chart.

Williams was the more highly touted of the two coming out of high school, so he would seemingly have the inside track at the third spot on the depth chart.     

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