News broke Monday morning that running back Greg Bryant will be suspended for the first four games of the season. As first-reported by Irish 247, Bryant will miss a quarter of the regular season based on the dreaded-and-ambiguous “violation of team rules,” thinning a running back depth chart that was already down to just Bryant, returning starter Tarean Folston and converted wide receiver C.J. Prosise.
Incoming freshmen Dexter Williams and Josh Adams will have a chance to pick up the slack. Playing true freshman running backs isn’t necessarily a Plan A, but far from a crisis situation. Adams is over a year recovered from an ACL injury and Williams comes to South Bend with high expectations, so they’ll have an additional hop in their step during summer workouts with a job opening up for grabs.
Bryant’s absence also puts the spotlight on the slot receiver position. Earlier this summer, head coach Brian Kelly dropped the nugget that Prosise was nearing 230 pounds, not exactly the size you expect from a slot receiver. That kind of bulk points at more than just moonlighting at running back, meaning fifth-year senior Amir Carlisle will be taking the reins as the starting Z receiver.
But behind him remains a mystery. Torii Hunter Jr. has yet to emerge, though the coaching staff speaks highly of his talent and playmaking abilities. The door could also open for some talented freshmen, with C.J. Sanders as close to the slot receiver prototype as you could ask for. There’s also rising sophomore Corey Holmes, who flashed some nice ball skills during spring ball after making only two appearances early in the 2014 season.
(Crazy thought: But pairing Sanders with flex-tight end Alizé Jones could give the Irish a similar look to when they utilized both Troy Niklas and Tyler Eifert as slot receivers -- going jumbo with an offense that already plans on running the ball downhill.)
Of course, the suspension plays most heavily on the shoulders of Bryant. The former five-star recruit faces another bump in the road—this one self-imposed—after seemingly turning himself into a model student-athlete and leader on the team.
Transferring is not an option. Per Irish Illustrated‘s Pete Sampson, Bryant will be going nowhere, with Greg Bryant Sr. telling Sampson that his son remains involved in summer school and team workouts.
“That’s not even in the equation,” Bryant Sr. told Irish Illustrated. “We’ve been through that already when he was a freshman. That wouldn’t be in his thoughts and if it was, it would have to go through me.”
While the headline likely shook Irish fans this morning, the reality of the situation is far from dire. There are certainly high expectations for Bryant (both from the staff and the coaching staff), but take away the five-star pedigree that Bryant arrived with, and this is a back who’s struggling to stay in the two-deep, hardly cause for a four-alarm fire drill in the dog days of summer.
There’s been no official statement from Notre Dame on the suspension, but multiple outlets are reporting the suspension. If the suspension stands, Bryant will miss games against Texas, Virginia, UMass and Georgia Tech, returning to face Clemson.
