The university of Notre Dame prides itself on academic excellence and it does not do too badly on the football field either. Late last week, allegations emerged that could rock the school for years.
It would appear that four football stars have been caught up in an academic scandal, in which players had their course work completed for them. The news comes a year after starting quarterback from the 2012 BCS National Championship game, Everett Golson, was suspended for the whole of last season after it emerged he cheated on a test..
Luckily for Golson, he is not one of the four players named. However, wide receiver DaVaris Daniel, who has been suspended in the past for academic violations, is named, along with defensive back KeiVarae Russell, defensive lineman Ishaq Williams and linebacker Kendall Moore.
Once the Fighting Irish have completed their internal probe, the NCAA will decide whether additional punishments are warranted, such as removing recruiting privileges, loss of scholarships or post-season bans.
Just last week I wrote about how I believed Brain Kelly’s men could reach the play-offs in its inaugural season and upset the apple cart to compete for a national championship. Unsurprisingly, the chances of that happening have taken quite a hit.
Including tight ends, ten pass catchers caught balls from Tommy Rees in 2013 which would suggest solid depth at the position. Unfortunately, leading wide-out TJ Jones graduated after his 70-catch season and break-out tight end Troy Niklas entered the draft as an underclassman. That left Daniels as the leader of the group after his 49-catch campaign, but, should Daniels be suspended, the Fighting Irish will be forced to lean on junior Chris Brown who has 17 career receptions and sophomores William Fuller and Corey Robinson who combined for 12 catches as freshmen.
Defensive back Russell was a solid presence in the secondary and made the most tackles of any returning cornerback with 51 as well as a lone interception. Up to seven players were set to rotate into the group over the upcoming season but losing Russell will mean losing a man who has started since his freshman year.
Senior defensive end Williams, despite being far from the most gifted of the four players to be in the spotlight, could be missed the most. He was due to fill in for a role vacated by second-round draft pick Stephon Tuitt. Furthermore, the defensive line was thinned further when defensive tackle Louis Nix also left his post.
Fifth-year linebacker Kendall Moore has seen the field sparingly in his time with the side and therefore can be replaced by a younger, hungrier recruit.
When broken down, you can see the two biggest hits to the side, should the players be proven guilty, are in positions that where well set. But, is that more damning than losing more players from weaker groups? Personally, I think it is much more difficult to win games with average talent across the board than with one or two standout positions and a couple of dreadful groups. Of course, there is still extreme talent on the Notre Dame roster such as linebacker Jaylon Smith and, Golson himself, displayed flashes of class two years ago.
Brian Kelly’s job just got a whole lot harder after last season’s 9-4 outing. And, if the NCAA do hand down tougher sanctions, will Kelly be able to justify his position at such a prestigious school where the football team has committed regular academic fraud?
Follow Richard on Twitter @Richard_Gatenby