Significant College Football Suspensions

SI Staff | Aug 3, 2006

Significant College Football Suspensions /

Significant College Football Suspensions

Rhett Bomar, QB, Oklahoma

Slated to be the Sooners' starting quarterback after setting a team freshman record with 2,018 passing yards last season, Bomar was given the boot in August for violating NCAA rules by taking "payment over an extended period of time in excess of time actually worked." But he's not the first projected starter to be sacked before the season's opening kickoff. Take a look at some others.

Gary Russell, RB, Minnesota

Laurence Maroney, the first-round pick of the three-time Super Bowl-champion New England Patriots, wasn't the only 1,000-yard rusher at Minnesota last fall. His backup, Russell, gained 1,130 yards but missed spring practice while trying to raise his grades at a junior college. The would-be junior fell short and has been dismissed from the university.

Ryan Moore, WR, and Tyrone Moss, RB, Miami

Senior starting running back Moss (right), who rushed for 701 yards and 12 touchdowns before going down with a knee injury after eight games, will miss the pivotal season opener against archrival Florida State, while Moore, a senior wideout who averaged 16.5 yards per catch a year ago, will miss that game and the next, both for violating undisclosed team rules.

Fred Rouse, WR, Florida State

One of the most sought-after wide receivers in the nation two years ago and a speedster who played five games for the Seminoles last season, Rouse was kicked off the team in January for conduct that coach Bobby Bowden described as "detrimental to the welfare of the team."

Marcus Vick, QB, Virginia Tech

Stomping on the leg of Louisville defensive back Elvis Dumervil during last season's Gator Bowl was only one of the reasons the Hokies showed Michael's brother the door at the end of his junior season.

Kevin Sears, LB, Auburn

A senior linebacker who has started 15 games for the Tigers over the last three seasons, Sears (40) was found guilty in July of DUI and of leaving the scene of an accident, among other charges. Teammate Tray Blackmon, a highly regarded redshirt freshman, also has been suspended indefinitely for alcohol-related offenses.

Marvin Mitchell, LB, Tennessee

A fifth-year senior who could start at middle linebacker, Mitchell (40) was suspended after being arrested and charged in May for disorderly conduct. He is one of four Volunteers who have been arrested in the last four months, including freshman Marsalous Johnson, who was charged with aggravated assault in July after waving a plastic pellet gun at a slow-moving driver who turned out to be an off-duty policeman.

Daniel Inman, OT, Georgia

A North Carolina native who grew up 2 1/2 hours from Columbia, S.C., Inman (72) was looking forward to finally starting in a game against the Gamecocks near his home turf. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs' senior starting offensive tackle will miss the game because he broke undisclosed team rules.

Avery Atkins, CB, Florida

In a conference loaded with stud wideouts, Florida had the perfect antidote in Atkins, a 5-foot-11, 189-pound shutdown cornerback. But his scholarship was voided this summer after he was charged with assault.

Ramonce Taylor, RB, Texas

One of the most versatile players on Texas' national-championship squad last year (12 rushing TDs, three receiving, almost 30 yards per kick return), Taylor missed spring ball with academic troubles and was arrested in May for possession of marijuana. While the Longhorns didn't throw him out of the program, they certainly didn't stop him from walking out the door.

Published Aug 3, 2006

SI STAFF