Brian Kelly says RB John Emery Jr. ‘unavailable’ for Week 1 against Florida State

Brian Kelly will be without one of his running backs for the season opener against Florida State on Sunday.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] will be without one of his running backs for the season opener against Florida State on Sunday. Kelly announced Wednesday morning that [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag] will be unavailable to play this weekend.

Emery was not able to participate in any team activities this spring and summer due to academic issues. He returned to the team midway through fall camp after he apparently met the expectations the team set for him.

It is unclear if the academics continue to be an issue for him, but nevertheless, Emery will not play Sunday night against Florida State.

Emery, a fifth-year senior, was going to be vying for playing time against a loaded running back room. [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag], [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag], [autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag], [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag], [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre Bradford[/autotag]. With Goodwin already ruled doubtful for Sunday’s game, the onus was placed on other running backs to produce.

This issue just puts Emery even further behind the eight ball if he wants to show that he is the guy. Now, he is giving one of the younger guys a chance to step up and make a great first impression on the coaches.

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