The University of Notre Dame will kick four players off the team because of academic fraud, according to Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports. Starting defensive lineman Ishaq Williams, starting cornerback KeiVarae Russell, receiver DaVaris Daniels, and reserve linebacker Kendall Moore will be dismissed from the team. The 

All of the players were expected to be solid contributors for the Irish this upcoming season, and they are going to be very tough for coach Brian Kelly to replace.

Daniels was the team's second-leading receiver on last year's squad and was very likely to be Everett Golson's favorite target in 2014. Daniels had 49 catches for 745 yards and 7 seven touchdowns last year, and his absence will put a tremendous amount of pressure on the Irish's young receivers to pick up the slack.

Russell is arguably the team's best defensive player, especially in the secondary. He recorded 51 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one interception last year, and was expected to be the leader of a largely unproven defensive backfield.

The two other players are also on the defensive side of the ball. Ishaq Williams was once a prized recruit, but he has not really reached his fullest potential. Despite his inconsistent play, he was supposed to be a big contributor on the defensive line. Moore was a promising sophomore linebacker and his loss is very damaging to the depth of Brian VanGorder's defense.

This situation seems eerily similar to Everett Golson's suspension prior to the start of last season. Golson was suspended for academic reasons, but was allowed to return to the team after one season of sitting out. Kelly just announced that Golson will be the starting quarterback this season and he should be back without missing a beat.

It is yet to be determined if the four players to be dismissed will be given the same opportunity, but it will be interesting to see how everything unfolds.

All four of the players were slated to be key contributors and their impending dismissal is a huge, maybe even an insurmountable hurdle for a team with championship aspirations. Before this news, some believed the Irish had the talent to upset Florida State as well as make it into the inaugural college football playoff system.

With this news, those thoughts have evaporated. They will still be good, but will not be nearly as formidable as they were with those four players.