The roller-coaster college career of Louisville running back Michael Dyer has ended.
The school announced in an e-mail to media outlets Tuesday night that Dyer (5-foot-9, 212 pounds), a senior, is academically ineligible for the Dec. 30 Belk Bowl against Georgia. Dyer is second on the team in rushing and had been listed as the starting tailback on the bowl depth chart.
He had back-to-back 100-yard games against North Carolina State and Florida State in October, and looked as if he had rekindled a once-promising career. But he managed just 109 yards combined in the final three regular-season games and finished the season with 481 yards and five TDs (he had 307 yards and four TDs in the games against NC State and FSU).
Dyer began his career at Auburn and was a key component on Auburn's 2010 national title team, rushing for 1,093 yards as a true freshman. In 2011, he ran for 1,242 yards and 10 TDs. But he had numerous off-field issues, and his character and maturity were questioned. He transferred to Arkansas State after the 2011 season but eventually was dismissed by that staff. He then earned an associate's degree at Arkansas Baptist College before moving on to Louisville for the 2013 season, when he rushed for 223 yards.
When he was at his best, he showed explosiveness and power. The big problem: That explosiveness and power truly has been on display extremely rarely since the 2011 season.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
