Johnell Barnes, Chris Holmes and Terrence Alls dismissed from Duke football program

Junior wide receiver Johnell Barnes, redshirt sophomore linebacker Chris Holmes and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Terrence Alls have been dismissed from the program, Duke head coach David Cutcliffe announced Tuesday.

“This is, without doubt, the most difficult thing teams and coaches face. This is not a reaction to anything that has occurred during the last couple weeks. This has been something that we have worked very hard with these young men to continue to understand what's expected of them," Cutcliffe said in a press release announcing the dismissals. "We have standards in this program that we’re committed to. When we’re recruiting, we let them and their parents know these things. We’re responsible to the parents and the players we have here currently. We’re going to uphold those standards and work with everybody we can to give people opportunities to be successful."

Cutcliffe delivered the same statement at his weekly press conference Tuesday afternoon.

Barnes was expected to emerge as a top offensive weapon for redshirt junior quarterback Thomas Sirk. The Miami Gardens, Fla., native ranked second on the team with 34 receptions for 411 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Alls was suspended from game competition indefinitely in March for failure to "uphold the academic, athletic and community standards required of a member of the Blue Devil program." Alls had been named the Blue Devils' Co-Most Improved Offensive Player after spring practice. He was reinstated prior to Duke's Oct. 16 game at Virginia Tech and caught six passes for 56 yards before Tuesday's announcement.

Holmes played in six games this season, recording four tackles and one for loss. His career concludes with 34 total tackles.

Cutcliffe said redshirt junior Anthony Nash and freshman T.J. Rahming would join senior Max McCaffrey as the starting wide receivers for Saturday's game at Virginia. Redshirt freshmen Chris Taylor and Trevon Lee—both of whom are coming off injuries—will also be looked to for increased production.

In September, Cutcliffe dismissed defensive back T.J. Douglas after the redshirt sophomore was arrested for driving while impaired.