Ohio State announced on Monday that running back Bri’onte Dunn has been dismissed from the program. The reason, according to head coach Urban Meyer, is an unspecified violation of team rules.
Running back Bri'onte Dunn has been dismissed from the #OhioState football team for violating team rules, Urban Meyer announces in email.
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) July 19, 2016
Ohio State Dismisses Running Back Bri’onte Dunn from Program
Dunn was slated to enter his senior season for the Buckeyes. He has been used sparingly over the course of his three previous seasons in Columbus. Last season, Dunn had just 15 carries for 95 yards but did score a touchdown against Hawaii on September 12.
The Canton, OH native came to OSU as a highly touted prospect at his position in 2012. Rivals listed him as the 11th best running back in the country and sixth best player overall in the state of Ohio. And he was part of Meyer’s first recruiting class as Buckeyes head coach.
Dunn has been involved in off-the-field issues before. Shortly before his freshman season, he was cited for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. The drug-related charges from the incident were eventually dropped and he escaped further discipline.
The 6’0″, 215 pounder was expected to get an increase in workload this year. With Ezekiel Elliott off to the NFL, Dunn was likely to share the majority of carries with players such as Mike Weber and Curtis Samuel. His dismissal means that the OSU backfield will be relatively inexperienced heading into the 2016 season.
OSU’s 2016 campaign gets underway on September 3rd when the Buckeyes welcome Bowling Green to Ohio Stadium. It marks Meyer’s first ever game against the team he coached for the first two years of his coaching career. The game kicks off at noon and will be televised on BTN.
