Will Greg Bryant's reported suspension leave Notre Dame thin?

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With Malik Zaire captaining the ship, Notre Dame's offense is expected to heavily rely on the run this fall. Greg Bryant -- one of Zaire's closest teammates -- remains a part of the plan, though according to multiple reports the rising junior running back will be suspended to begin the 2015 season.

Irish247 first reported Bryant's four-game suspension, and Irish Illustrated reported it'll likely be for four games as well. That would remove Bryant from the backfield equation for September games against Texas, at Virginia, Georgia Tech and UMass, with the former five-star recruit returning for a pivotal trip to Clemson Oct. 3. Notre Dame has not announced the suspension.

The good news for Notre Dame is rising junior Tarean Folston has shouldered the load out of the backfield plenty in his first two years on campus. He had 18 or more rushing attempts in six of Notre Dame's final eight games last year and totaled 724 yards in that stretch, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. He's a smooth, polished, reliable running back in all facets of his game.

[MORE: Brian Kelly excited for Malik Zaire to lead Notre Dame]

In Notre Dame's 31-28 Music City Bowl win over LSU, Bryant only rushed twice (gaining two yards) while Cam McDaniel attempted one carry for four yards and Everett Golson ran once for six yards. Otherwise, the remaining 47 carries and 251 rushing yards the Irish racked up between Zaire, Folston, C.J. Prosise and Amir Carlisle will still be around in September of this year.

But what Folston lacks -- or hasn't proven he has -- is the kind of big-chunk ability Notre Dame thinks Bryant possesses on Saturdays. Though from a glass-half-full standpoint, Notre Dame thinks Prosise, who cross-trained at running back and slot receiver during spring practice, has the same capabilities. And he's already proven it, albeit not as a true running back.

Prosise gained 50 or more yards on a play four times last year, including a 50-yard touchdown rush against LSU. He's a bigger back (220 pounds) but has a quick burst in space, and coaches praised his ability to pick up how to run with good pad level during running back transition in the spring.

There was a decent chance Prosise would've entered the season as Notre Dame's No. 2 running back even if Bryant weren't suspended.

[MORE: C.J. Prosise exits spring practice as Notre Dame's biggest rising star]

Bryant's talent has yet to yield much in the way of gameday results. He redshirted his freshman year and rushed 54 times for 289 yards with three touchdowns in 2014, and his longest carry was 27 yards. His five-star potential remains an untapped resource.

We'll have to wait a little while to see if Bryant and the Irish can find a way to turn that potential into meaningful rushes and yards for a team that has its focus on the College Football Playoff. But In the interim, while having a former big-time recruit sidelined isn't ideal for optics, Notre Dame appears to be in a good position to absorb this blow with Zaire, Folston and Prosise handling the running duties in September.

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