Will the Bulls Face Michael Floyd?

What is the latest on wide receiver Michael Floyd?

As the Bulls prepare for the season (2 weeks and counting before Fall practices begin for the team), the Bulls will begin to focus on their first opponent, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The Irish had an up and down season last season, but are poised to make a run this year and have the sports media talking about the potential in South Bend. This is going to be a huge game for the Bulls as they try to make a statement in week one. However, one of the biggest playmakers for the Irish, wide receiver Michael Floyd, remains a mystery for the Bulls and the fans. [keep reading]

Floyd's legal issues have been well documented. Three alcohol related arrests in three years, including two underage ones, have put the talented receiver in hot water. His last arrest earned him a one-year suspended jail sentence (not in jail) and was suspended indefinitely for the season by head coach Brian Kelly. The question remaining is, how long will the junior be suspended?

Floyd was the Irish's best downfield weapon last season. He finished the season with 79 receptions, 1025 yards (13-yards per catch), and 12 touchdowns, putting him high on NFL draft boards for the upcoming season.

The 6-3 227-pound playmaker has been allowed to participate in voluntary summer workouts with the team, allowing him to stay in shape and work with the team as they prepare for the season, but this still does not answer the question, when will he play?

So far, Coach Kelly has been quite on the situation and has not stated when or if Floyd will be eligible to play. Some are speculating that will be back in action this fall and could start game one, but there is nothing concrete. Kelly could suspend him for several games, which would mean he would miss the USF game, but as of now, no one knows what will happen.

To get a better idea of where Floyd is and what is going on at Notre Dame with him, I asked Daniel Battle of Slapthesign.com for his opinion on the Floyd case:

Background- Michael Floyd was arrested in the spring for a DUI incident. He and his attorney worked toward a plea deal in the beginning of June and his final legal sentencing (in late June) was for him to be put on probation for a year along with not being able to drive for 90 days and sitting through a person talk about losing a loved one through drunk driving.

What did ND do about it? The University is usually strict on anyone who commits crimes (especially since it's his 3rd legal issue); however, they allowed him back into the school and told our head Coach Brian Kelly to decide whether or not to bring him back onto the team. Coach put together a list of legal and personal goals for him to conquer. I'm not quite sure what exactly they were but I am assuming it's something along the lines of volunteering 3 more times than you need to, attend events that promote safe driving, and other things that forces him to be a better human. So far, Floyd is doing everything he needs to do to play.

Is he practicing with the team? Yes, about a month or so ago Floyd was allowed to train with the team at workouts and summer conditioning events.

Will he play next year? Although it hasn't been confirmed and reports are saying we won't know until sometime in August, he most likely will play. They may suspend him for a game since we aren't playing a rival opponent (Personally, I do believe USF will put up a good game and we will need him) but it is still a long shot. He is one of the reasons we are going to be ranked 18th (the ranking is from what I've heard) when we play against USF.

So from the sounds of it, Floyd could play in this game. We would have to imagine that Snyder, Holtz and the secondary are preparing for Floyd to be in the game and to be the focus of the downfield passing game of Brian Kelly's spread offense.