Report: Notre Dame dismisses DaVaris Daniels, 3 other starters during academic fraud investigation
As details emerge about Notre Dame's academic fraud investigations, ESPN's Brett McMurphy has reported the names of the four players dismissed from the program.
Notre Dame dismisses WR DaVaris Daniels, DB KeiVarae Russell, DL Ishaq Williams, LB Kendall Moore sources tell @ESPN. 1st reports: Yahoo/Fox
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) August 15, 2014
Daniels, a senior wideout coming off a previous academic suspension, was the team's leading receiver in 2013, tallying 49 catches for 745 yards and seven touchdowns.
Russell had been a standout player at cornerback for each of his first two seasons, earning freshman All-American honors in 2012.
Williams and Moore were expected to move into starting roles this year, and thus all four now-dismissed players were set to play key roles in the team's fortunes.
According to a South Bend Tribune report:
...the scale of alleged fraud is comparable to the highly publicized case at the University of North Carolina and that a former player or players could be tied in as well.
Per ESPN:
The players allegedly violated the university's honor code by receiving improper help on classwork.
Notre Dame officials have yet to publicly comment on the issue.