A handful of months after being indefinitely suspended from the football program, a pair of Texas A&M Aggies have found their time in College Station come to an end.
The school has announced that linebacker Darian Claiborne (pictured) and defensive lineman Isaiah Golden have been dismissed from the football program. Head coach Kevin Sumlin said in a statement that both players “failed to meet the high expectations and standards that we have for our football players.”
Claiborne and Golden were each arrested on misdemeanor charges this offseason, the former for disorderly conduct and the latter for pot possession. Claiborne was also arrested back in late December for possession of a dangerous drug and possession of less than two ounces of marijuana. Following that arrest, Claiborne was suspended and did not play in the Aggies’ Chick-fil-A Bowl win over Duke.
In 2013 as true freshmen, Claiborne started nine games while Golden started six. The former was named to the Freshman All-SEC team for his efforts.
Claiborne was a three-star member of the A&M’s 2013 recruiting class, rated as the No. 19 inside linebacker in the country. Golden was a four-star member of the same class, rated as the No. 8 defensive tackle in the country and the No. 15 player at any position in the state of Texas.
The twin losses are significant ones as both players were projected as starters in 2014 prior to their off-field issues.