Smith to transfer

EVANSTON-Northwestern officially announced today the news that first appeared on Twitter several days ago: that sophomore running back Adonis Smith is transferring.

"We're disappointed to see Adonis leave Northwestern," said head coach Pat Fitzgerald in an official statement. "He is an outstanding young man and we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors."

To many observers, Smith's transfer will hardly come as a surprise. The Oakland (Calif.) Junipero Serra product seemed to be buried on the depth chart, if not in Fitzgerald's doghouse, for much of the 2011 season. Even after starting tailback Mike Trumpy went down with a season-ending knee injury at Illinois in Week 4, Smith continued to get relatively few carries while true freshman Treyvon Green emerged as the feature back.

Smith played in eight games, and his high point was against Iowa, when he carried the ball a season-high 12 times for a season-high 60 yards. He played in only four of the final seven games of the season and carried the ball just 19 more times.

Smith showed promise as a true freshman in 2010, playing in nine games and rushing for 196 yards on 41 carries.

In two seasons, he totaled 462 rushing yards (4.3 ypc), nine receptions and three rushing TDs.

Smith will have two years of eligibility remaining.