Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback KeiVarae Russell was once regarded as a likely NFL first round draft pick in 2015. Mel Kiper Jr. even had him as the number one corner on his big board.
Well, that’s obviously changed now given his suspension from Notre Dame. He confirmed that he will not be returning to the Irish this season.
Keivarae Russell is one of the “Notre Dame five;” suspended since mid August. We just learned on Thursday that the ND 5 will not be playing this season. Although Russell has the talent and potential to jump to the NFL, he said that he will return to South Bend instead. Keivarae Russell posted this news on his Instagram page today.
Obviously his NFL Draft stock took a huge hit from this academic malfeasance. Perhaps it is best he returns to school. It’s a chance to bring his NFL Draft stock back up.
#NBC Sports: Junior Cornerback Keivarae Russell Out for Year, Plans Return for 2015 #NotreDame https://t.co/BSyhASvw6o @uhnd
— Mark Rogers (@MarkRogersTV) October 11, 2014
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and very often writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2