Running back Joe Williams is one of three members
of 2013 team not returning to team in 2014

Time for a roster update and at this time of the year it is rarely good news.

Three players who could have played significant roles in the upcoming season are no longer enrolled at UConn.

Offensive tackle Xavier Hemingway, who got a start at right tackle in place of an injured Kevin Friend in the season-opening loss to Towson, running back Joe Williams and defensive end turned tight end E.J. Norris are no longer with the program.

Williams was arrested last year on larceny charges, suspended from the team and never reinstated. Hemingway was also arrested on larceny charges after being accused of stealing $19 worth of merchandise on Nov. 29.

With Friend and fellow starting offensive tackle Jimmy Bennett graduating, Hemingway and Dalton Gifford, who started six games during the 2013 season, figured to be the frontrunners to earn the starting offensive tackle slots. Williams offered an intriguing combination of size and speed and perhaps he could have earned some playing time last season had he not been suspended after being charged with larceny, theft of a credit card and illegal use of a credit card.

According to the police report, Hemingway turned himself into the UConn police department on an outstanding warrant for his arrest on Thursday. He was charged with sixth-degree larceny and posted a $1,000 bond.

Norris showed flashes of his potential as a pass rusher as a true freshman in 2012 but with UConn thin at the tight end position and the emergence of Reuben Frank as a defensive end, he was shifted from defense to offense during the 2013 season.

Their departures do open up three additional scholarships which can be utilized in head coach Bob Diaco's first recruiting class.