Highly touted freshman wide receiver Sam Bruce, ranked No. 82 in the 247Sports Composite coming out of high school, never had a chance to make an impact on the field at Miami, first suffering a leg injury in September and then getting dismissed from the program in October for a violation of team rules.

According to the school, Bruce was dismissed "based on multiple violations of team rules and a failure on his part to meet the clear expectations established to be a part of the Miami football program. We wish Sam well with his future academic and football endeavors."

Bruce was a four-star prospect coming out of St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale and the top-rated prospect from coach Mark Richt's first signing class with the Hurricanes. Richt and the coaching staff had high hopes for Bruce coming into the season, expecting him to work his way into the lineup after serving a three-game suspension tied to an incident from high school.

Bruce actually had to leave St. Thomas Aquinas and finish his senior year at Westlake Prep after a photo surfaced of the wide receiver allegedly holding a firearm. The three-game suspension, announced shortly before Miami's season opener, did not detail specifics but was accepted by many as a punishment tied to Bruce's exit from St. Thomas.

According to Matt Porter of the Palm Beach Post, disciplinary issues became Bruce's downfall with the Hurricanes. After his suspension was announced, Bruce suffered a season-ending leg injury and reportedly was not truthful with the coaches about how the injury occurred -- playing basketball, a prohibited activity for the football team.