Former Notre Dame RB Greg Bryant enrolls at ASA College of Miami
It looks like Greg Bryant has found a new home that's closer to his old one.
The former Notre Dame running back, who was academically suspended for the 2015 season after previously having been suspended for the first four games, has enrolled at ASA College of Miami, according to a series of tweets from ASA College tight ends coach Roger Mitchell.
Bryant's father, Greg Bryant Sr., told Irish Illustrated Wednesday night that he had no knowledge of his son's reported transfer, a little over a week after he told the same publication that his son was firm in his desire to return to ND.
“If he did that, he did that on his own. He did that behind my back,” Bryant Sr. said. “I haven’t talked to any of the coaches over there, no one has called me. If that’s how they do business, that’s how it’s done. Greg did it on his own.”
Bryant — a 5-foot-10, 205-pound junior — rushed for 303 yards and three touchdowns in his first two seasons in South Bend. He led the Irish with 5.4 yards per carry in 2014 and also returned eight punts for 94 yards, plus four kickoffs for 85 yards. He was ranked as a five-star prospect out of American Heritage High School in Delray Beach, Fla., in the 2013 recruiting class.
At a press conference last Thursday one day prior to the opening of Notre Dame's training camp, head coach Brian Kelly said he would welcome Bryant back to the team if his intentions were to return.
"We're still talking," Kelly said. "I'd like to have Greg back if Greg's committed to getting his degree at Notre Dame. He's got to be committed. If he's committed to getting his degree at Notre Dame, committed to utilizing the resources that we have here, I'd love to have Greg Bryant back."
The head coach at ASA College is Ernest T. Jones, who worked as the director of player development at Notre Dame from 2012 to 2014. Bryant could conceivably play a season at ASA College before returning to Notre Dame.
In the wake of Bryant's ineligibility, Notre Dame moved 6-2, 220-pound sophomore Justin Brent from the wide receiver to running back position. Junior Tarean Folston and senior C.J. Prosise are expected to handle the majority of the available carries in 2015.
Kelly chose not to speculate last week on what went wrong in Bryant's tenure at Notre Dame.
“Look, every year that I've been a football coach we have to counsel our players, every year, whether it's Greg Bryant or it's the best players on our team," Kelly said. "They have to make good decisions and sometimes they don't. It doesn't make him a bad kid. It just means that he needs to continue to grow and continue to learn, and hopefully he'll take this situation that he's dealing with and learn from it.
"But I don't know that I could speak to what he did wrong specifically other than he needs to continue to make good decisions.”
ASA College's football program is set to enter its inaugural season in 2015.
