Notre Dame safety Eilar Hardy was cleared by the NCAA on Friday to participate in competition, making him eligible for Saturday’s game against Arizona State.
Coach Brian Kelly had invited Hardy back to the roster last month. Hardy began practicing with the team again last week after the players returned from a bye week.
Kelly said Thursday that Hardy, a redshirt junior, had been cleared by the school to return to the playing field. Hardy was the last of the five Notre Dame players to be implicated in the school’s internal academic probe, which was announced in August and resulted in the absence of defensive lineman Ishaq Williams, receiver DaVaris Daniels, linebacker Kendall Moore and cornerback KeiVarae Russell for the season.
“We’re in dialogue with the NCAA, trying to get a final clarification or a final declaration from them relative to his immediate eligibility,” Kelly said Thursday of Hardy. “That is a fluid situation. We’re hoping to get a final answer from them very, very soon.”
Hardy has played in 10 games for Notre Dame and has started two, all coming last season. He has 26 total tackles.